The Catcher In The Rye: Holden Gets Influenced Essay, Research Paper

“The Catcher in the Rye: Holden Gets Influenced”

Everyone gets influenced by someone, even heroes do. The Catcher in the Rye, a novel written by J. D. Salinger, talks about Holden Caulfield, a 16 year old boy that is trying to live through his problems. Holden tries to learn from his experiences as well as from the ones of others. He goes through many hard times, but he always takes them as a chance to imagine how it could have ended if he had done something about them or what cold had happened if he was not so “yellow”. Many people influence him; especially Jane Gallagher, Phoebe, and Allie.

Jane Gallagher has a lot of influence on Holden. For example he states, “…You never even worried, with Jane, whether your hand was sweaty or not. All you knew was, you were happy. You really were.” In this scene, Holden shows how Holden feels when he gets around Jane. Holden says that he feels good and happy when around Jane. Another scene where Jane demonstrates her influence over Holden, is when he states, “…Then I’d crawl back to my room and call up Jane and have her come over and bandage up my guts. I pictured her holding a cigarette for me to smoke while I was…” Here, Holden imagines Jane coming over to help him, which reveals that Holden feels secure and protected by her. It also shows how Holden feels about Jane, the girl of his dreams, who he feels in love with. Jane clearly has much influence over Holden.

Holden’s little brother, Allie, also influences a lot on him. For example, Holden states, “…You’d have liked him. He was two years younger than I was, but he was about fifty times as intelligent…He was also the nicest member of the family in lots of ways. He never got mad at anybody…” Holden always thinks of his brother Allie as a good and intelligent boy. When Holden thinks about Allie, Holden shows his love for him and how much he likes him. Another important scene is when Holden says, “…I kept walking and walking up Fifth Avenue…Then all of a sudden, something very spooky started happening. Every time I came to the end of a block and stepped off the goddam curb, I had this feeling that I’d never get to the other side of the street. I thought I’d just go down, down, down, and…Every time I’d get to the end of the block I’d make believe I was talking to my brother Allie. I’d say to him “Allie, don’t let me disappear…” And then when I’d reached the other side of the street without disappearing. I’d thanked him…” Holden’s fear of death exposes in this scene. He also shows his feel of protection that he has from his brother.

Phoebe, Holden’s 10-year-old sister, represents another important influence on Holden. A scene where she shows her influence over Holden is where Holden states, “I kept thinking about old Phoebe going to that museum on Saturdays the way I used to see, I thought how she’d see the same stuff I used to see, and how she’d be different every time she saw it…Certain thing is they should stay the way they are…I know that’s impossible, but it’s too bad anyway.” Holden shows his fear of change. He also demonstrates that he does not want to change, and does not want to grow up, but to stay as a kid. Another part where Phoebe shows her influence on Holden is when Holden states, “… the kids were trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she’d fall off the horse. The thing… is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it…if they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them.” Holden feels that by letting Phoebe ride alone, he will make good for her, something that his parents did not give him. At the same time, Holden reveals his feelings towards his Allie, who he loves and takes care of. Phoebe probably has more influence than any other person.

These three persons, Jane, Phoebe, and Allie, have the most influence on Holden’s mind. Jane influences him and gives him a feeling of protection. Allie makes Holden reveal his fear of death. Phoebe, probably the most influential person on Holden, makes him show his fear of change, but also his insecurity. There are other persons who influence Holden, like Ackley or Stradlater, but Jane, Allie, and Phoebe are the ones that have more influence on him than anyone else has.

Bibliography

My name is Ricardo Villarreal. I’m a 15 year old boy. I’m a 10th grader, a sophomore. I attend to University High School. My hobbies are: playing soccer, flying R/C planes, driving R/C cars, and playing video games.