My First Impression of Holden
Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is an interesting
character during this book. This story takes place from Pencey Prep., to New York, and at
a football game. Holden is the main character in the book. He tells the story about him
and through his perspective. Holden is a person that is different from a normal person and
doesn’t really live his life to the fullest possibility. He isn’t living his life the way I think
he wants to and not trying to achieve dreams he may have. During the beginning of The
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden comes across as a depressed and lonely
person along with being not very smart and immature in his ways.
Holden has many different feelings inside himself throughout the book. He first
comes across as a depressed or lonely person. Also, that he doesn’t have any friends he
wants to hang with or be with. Holden would rather be alone than with other people.
Holden wasn’t really ever getting along with the people at Pencey and didn’t have many
friends at Pencey during the time he was going there. Holden says, “[…] because
practically the whole school except me was there […]” (Salinger, 2). He was standing
and watching the football game at the top of a hill and alone. Holden was on top of
Thomsen Hill at the time which looks over the football stadium. This shows that he is
lonely and doesn’t like be a social person. Also, Holden doesn’t like doing events with
other people in his school. Holden also isn’t the kind of person that parties or has the
friends that he wants to go out with and hang out. Sometimes, he just goes places by
himself since he is alone and probably bored. “I didn’t have anything special to do, so I
went down to the can […]” (26). Holden is the type of person that isn’t social with
anyone and should be a social person. He’s also like wasting his time sitting along and
around. He decides to go outside and find something to do. Holden wants to do
something, but doesn’t. Holden never figures out someone to hang with until the middle
of the book. Holden Caulfield is the type of person that is alone and not him. Along with
being lonely and depressed at times, Holden has other impressions that I got about him.
Holden is a guy that has trouble being himself and taking things seriously. He
comes across in a not smart and immature way that isn’t right. Holden has many
difficulties caring about the things he should care about during the book. He isn’t really
into school at all and doesn’t want to be learning. Holden isn’t the smart person you may
think he is. “I wasn’t supposed to come back after Christmas vacation, on account of I
was flunking four subjects and not applying myself and all” (4). Holden isn’t really
taking his grades and education seriously at all like he should be. Holden isn’t acting like
a sixteen or seventeen-year old boy. He should be caring about his grades and be focused
on getting a job, along with a good career in life. Along with this, Holden never acts his
own age in most of the situations he has been in. He always seems to appear younger than
he is really should be acting during a situation or time. “I was sixteen then, and I’m
seventeen now, and sometimes I act like I’m about thirteen” (9). He even says that he
doesn’t acts his own age. He should be trying to act his age and maybe even older. He
shouldn’t act like he’s thirteen which is four years younger than he is. Holden isn’t a kid
anymore like he used to be. Holden should start trying to be an adult. Throughout this
book, Holden gives you many first impressions that he gives you and makes you think
what he is doing.
There are things that I could make about Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in
the Rye by J.D. Salinger. One of the predictions I could make would be that Holden
comes to terms about his life. He may try to get into another school because his parents
will make him. Also, when he tells his parents, they won’t be happy since failing four out
of five classes is not good or the best. He will end up going home for a little. Then, if he
likes New York, he’ll go back. The best one I think will he that he may end up staying
with his parents until he gets a job or finds another school that will accept him in. That
would be the hardest part of getting into a new school. I think that he will end up doing
nothing important or amazing in his life and end up living with his parents until they kick
him out. He isn’t the type of person that cares about do anything. This would be why he
ends up staying with his parents in their house with his younger sister. Holden is a person
that you can’t tell where their life could lead to. There are things that just show up about
him and surprise you. Holden will do something, but it’s hard to tell actually what will
because of what has happened some far in the beginning of the book.