The Catcher in the Rye Group

Topic: Holden caulfield

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1

rose01

does anyone view holden as a hero for our time? how?

2

ask996

On the surface, Holden might appear to be a dubious hero at best, but what do we find if we dig a little deeper. On the surface we know he has been kicked out of yet another school (Okay not kicked out, but they did ask him not to return.) He has minimal responsibilities, and can't even manage to complete those successfully like when he forgets the sports gear for which he was responsible. He chooses to blame all those around him for his problems, and when someone tries to help or counsel him like the sick teacher, he gets angry and resentful. He's judgmental and hypocritical.

However, we learn from the outset that he is in an institution. We learn that he was traumatized by the death of his little brother, and even though he accuses his oldest brother of pimping himself out for Hollywood, we realize that he feels abandoned. Holden is simply a teenager who is failing at life because he has not yet learned to cope with the devastating blows life has dealt. Be that as it may, he is trying now to figure things out. He is telling his story, he is looking at his actions and using self reflection to try and reach some conclusions and resolutions about his life. That seems pretty heroic to me when he could have simply just given up.

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