Thursday, January 4, 2018

In Catcher in the Rye, what are some good examples of Holden having a distorted view of himself?

Towards the beginning of the novel, Holden Caulfield mentions that he is quite tall and has gray hair. Holden believes that his height and hair color make people think that he is older than he actually is. Several times throughout the novel, Holden attempts to purchase alcoholic drinks and is denied. Holden's distorted view of himself is evident from various server's reactions to his requests to buy alcoholic beverages. In Holden's mind, he thinks he looks much older than twenty-one, which is clearly not the case. Being the unreliable narrator that he is, Holden mentions that he can be "pretty sexy" sometimes, but offers several significant pieces of information that suggest otherwise. Holden recalls a time when he made advances towards Jane Gallagher, which portrays his inexperience and awkwardness around females. Holden says,

Then she really started to cry, and the next thing I knew, I was kissing her all over—anywhere—her eyes, her nose, her forehead, her eyebrows and all, her ears—her whole face except her mouth and all. She sort of wouldn't let me get to her mouth. Anyway, it was the closest we ever got to necking.

In addition to Holden's awkward moment with Jane Gallagher, he also freezes up after requesting a prostitute.

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