Thinking back on the Catcher in the Rye

After reading both the Catcher in the Rye and the Old Man and the Sea I have gained a new perspective on the characters. Holden is really an interesting adolescent. His character seems to capture all of the emotions and characteristics of people his age, but magnifies and intensifies them to an extreme level. It is this that makes Holden such a strong character. This also makes it easy for readers to relate to him on a very deep level. One major characteristic of Holden is his arrogance. He always believes that he is right about everything no matter what. He will not take advice from others because he truly believes that it is irrelevant to his opinion. This makes him very hard headed, which often times according to adults, is the way that most teenagers are. At a younger age opinions about many things in life seem to be formed and often times they need to be voiced. Holden portrays this perfectly. Maybe this is a characteristic that some people have but it could also be that every adolescent feels the need to rebel to understand how many things in life work. The entire point of the novel is to show that Holden finally understand that he is not acting the way he should. The story is one of the most important coming of age novels of all time. Holden’s opinions and attitude change through the course of events in the novel. This happening allows Holden to be ready to enter a new part of his life. He is no longer a juvenile, but rather a young adult with an understanding of his environment and his position in society. The major thing I would like to point out is Holden’s strength in his voice and opinions. I think it is a very important part of his character and has a lot to do with how the reader pictures him after the novel has ended.