Catcher In The Rye Ego Essay - 1259 Words

In the book, â€Å"The Catcher in the Rye,† is is clearly shown that certain tragic events can affects the growth of one’s maturity. Essentially leading to mental breakdowns and in holden s case, put him in a mental intuition. Holden’s younger brothers premature passing inflicts a cynical view on the world around him and shows that he is terrified about growing up. He becomes disappointed with the interactions that he has with other people and his lack of social interest shows he does not know how to empathize with for others. His cynical views make him inferior even though he wants to be superior. This would essentially be summed up into what is known as an existential crisis. Holden questions his point of living which leaves him lost in†¦show more content†¦At a bar, Holden finds these women, describing them and typical â€Å"phonies.† He ends up dancing with â€Å"the blonde one† and teases her, telling her that a movie star was in the room they were. All of a sudden â€Å"[he] was sorry as hell [he’d] kidded her. Some people you shouldn’t kid, even if they deserve it† (Salinger 78). Holden is well aware that he has hurt her. He also not admittingly makes a mental not that you cannot do as you please in this world. In a conversation between Holden and Spencer, Holden is lectured about the importance of â€Å"playing by the rules.† Spencer, his former history teacher at Pencey, explains that life should be â€Å"played by the rules.† and calls life a game. To himself, Holden goes on to say, â€Å"Game, my ass. Some game. If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then it’s a game, all right—I’ll admit that. But if you get on the other side, where there aren’t any hot-shots, then what’s a game about it? Nothing. No game† (Salinger 8). Clearly, Holden identifies himself with the people on the other side. He shows that he is sort of isolated from the rest of the world and created this cynical view of everyone and everything. He shows that he has no hope in becoming on of the â€Å"hot-shots† and already expresses that he is a lost cause and does not know what to do with his life. It seems as though â€Å"Holden s oversized in feriority feelings are in contrast to his ex ­tremely high goals of superiority. Thus he is sure to feel small and inferior†Show MoreRelatedSigmund Freud s Theory And Criticism1345 Words   |  6 PagesJess Rubinstein Intro to Theory and Criticism Spring 2015 Midterm Essays Freud and Literature At some point in life, everyone has heard the name Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud was born in 1856, and went on to become one of the most talked about theorists. He is known as the father of psychoanalysis and has left behind an everlasting legacy. There were two influential and sometimes controversial theories that Freud left behind. Sigmund Freud’s big legacy was his work with dreams and the unconsciousRead MoreHoldens Depression and Self-Doubt in Salingers Catcher in the Rye734 Words   |  3 PagesAs Eugene McNamara stated in his essay â€Å"Holden Caulfield as Novelist†, Holden, of J.D. Salinger’s novel Catcher in the Rye, had met with long strand of betrayals since he left Pencey Prep. These disappointments led him through the adult world with increasing feelings of depression and self-doubt, leading, finally to his mental breakdown. Holden’s first betrayal was that of his memory and innocence by an egotistical peer. At Pencey Prep, he roomed with a student named Stradlater; the epitome ofRead MoreAnalysis Of Holden s The Great Gatsby 1951 Words   |  8 Pagesâ€Å"contains our baser animal drives and instinctual impulses† (Nevid 470). In other words, Holden is driven by his emotions rather than logical thinking. He lacks rational sense and has a false sense of reality. Holden’s id seems to be stronger than his ego which â€Å"attempts to balance the instinctual demands of the id with social realities and expectations† and â€Å"operates according to the reality principle, the basis for operating in the world by taking into account what is practical and acceptable† (NevidRead MoreTranscendentalism, Realism, Naturalism, And Existentialism- Shaped The Advancement Of American Literature1486 Words   |  6 Pagesofferings. Through characterizing the progress of the philosophies , the development of American literature is explained. Transcendentalism describes the idea that knowledge comes through intuition and imagination instead of logic or the senses. In the essay, Nature, by Ralph Waldo Emerson, he begins it with the dismissal of the way in which the past dominates the way people understand and act in the present. Natural and humanistic sciences were not viewed distinctively from one another, â€Å"All science has