In the novel "The Catcher in the Rye", by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is a young boy who is trying to find himself in a world he feels he doesn't belong in. The story takes place in New york in the 1950s. Holden is a pessimist wandering around the streets of New York because he was kicked out of his boarding school. He has no friends and hates almost everything. As the novel progresses we can see that being lonely is affecting Holden. Isolation can be dangerous because it can cause you to go insane. Holden is losing his mind and most of his judgements stop making sense.
From the beginning of the novel we can see Holden isolating himself. " Anyway it was the Saturday of the football game...I remember around three o'clock that afternoon I was standing way the hell up on top of Thomsen Hill... You could see the whole field from there, and you could see the two teams bashing each other all over the place...(p. 5)." Here he pretty much sets the stage for his character. He is isolated instead of connecting with the people and being at the game. We can infer that this alienation is a form of self protection. However his alienation is destroying him. " 'Boy, do I hate it,' I said. 'But it isn't just that. It's everything. I hate living in New York and all. Taxicabs, and Madison avenue buses, with the drivers and all always yelling at you to get out at the rear door, and being introduced to phony guys....' 'Don't shout, please," old Sally said. Which was very funny, because I wasn't even shouting..(p. 171-172). Holden takes Sally out on a date but his need for isolation causes him to scream at her. He doesn't even realize he's yelling which causes us to doubt his sanity. He doesn't know how to interact properly with people.
A huge part of why Holden started isolating himself, I believe, is his brother Allie. His death really affected Holden. "I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the goddam windows in the garage. I don't blame them. I really don't. I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist...(p.50)." You can see by the fact that he slept in the garage alone that night that he started distancing himself after Allie's death. Isolation can cause his pain because he keeps all his emotions in and doesn't really want to talk to anyone about the pain of losing his brother. This is destroying him and causing him to go mad because he is drowning in his pain.
As Holden is wandering around New york alone he is drinking and debating whether to go home or not. He is also constantly debating whether to call Jane or not. His hesitation keeps him in his isolation. As he is drinking he starts playing these bizarre scenes of being shot. "I kept putting my hand under my jacket, on my stomach and all, to keep the blood from dripping all over the place. I didn't want anybody to know I was even wounded.I was concealing the fact that I was a wounded sonuvabitch...(p.195)." This is not the first time Holden acts hurt. He also acted shot after Maurice came into his hotel room. We can see how he is slowly losing it. He is not acting this scene out with anyone but himself. Only he knows that he is injured which infers that he lives in his own world. The alcohol caused him to lose it even more.
Holden isolated himself as a way to protect himself but it ended up destroying him. At the end of the novel we find out he is in a mental institute. So we can't really trust that all of his judgements were true. He was trying to find himself because he felt he didn't belong in this world. To isolate himself was not good because it caused him to go insane. His insanity caused him to lose the people he loved.
From the beginning of the novel we can see Holden isolating himself. " Anyway it was the Saturday of the football game...I remember around three o'clock that afternoon I was standing way the hell up on top of Thomsen Hill... You could see the whole field from there, and you could see the two teams bashing each other all over the place...(p. 5)." Here he pretty much sets the stage for his character. He is isolated instead of connecting with the people and being at the game. We can infer that this alienation is a form of self protection. However his alienation is destroying him. " 'Boy, do I hate it,' I said. 'But it isn't just that. It's everything. I hate living in New York and all. Taxicabs, and Madison avenue buses, with the drivers and all always yelling at you to get out at the rear door, and being introduced to phony guys....' 'Don't shout, please," old Sally said. Which was very funny, because I wasn't even shouting..(p. 171-172). Holden takes Sally out on a date but his need for isolation causes him to scream at her. He doesn't even realize he's yelling which causes us to doubt his sanity. He doesn't know how to interact properly with people.
A huge part of why Holden started isolating himself, I believe, is his brother Allie. His death really affected Holden. "I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the goddam windows in the garage. I don't blame them. I really don't. I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist...(p.50)." You can see by the fact that he slept in the garage alone that night that he started distancing himself after Allie's death. Isolation can cause his pain because he keeps all his emotions in and doesn't really want to talk to anyone about the pain of losing his brother. This is destroying him and causing him to go mad because he is drowning in his pain.
As Holden is wandering around New york alone he is drinking and debating whether to go home or not. He is also constantly debating whether to call Jane or not. His hesitation keeps him in his isolation. As he is drinking he starts playing these bizarre scenes of being shot. "I kept putting my hand under my jacket, on my stomach and all, to keep the blood from dripping all over the place. I didn't want anybody to know I was even wounded.I was concealing the fact that I was a wounded sonuvabitch...(p.195)." This is not the first time Holden acts hurt. He also acted shot after Maurice came into his hotel room. We can see how he is slowly losing it. He is not acting this scene out with anyone but himself. Only he knows that he is injured which infers that he lives in his own world. The alcohol caused him to lose it even more.
Holden isolated himself as a way to protect himself but it ended up destroying him. At the end of the novel we find out he is in a mental institute. So we can't really trust that all of his judgements were true. He was trying to find himself because he felt he didn't belong in this world. To isolate himself was not good because it caused him to go insane. His insanity caused him to lose the people he loved.