In the novel, The Catcher inside the Rye, L. D. Salinger narrates the psychological and physical tribulations of Holden Caulfield, a great overanalyzing, psychologically unstable teen boy, searching for satisfaction in an ever-changing world. In one assortment, Holden identifies his night time journey through Central Park, on the advantage of an mental breakdown, he seeks company yet consistently scorns the idea of being with individuals who care about him. Through Salingers manipulation of detail, placing, and repetition, he highlights Holdens feelings of loneliness and detachment, and this individual exposes his deteriorating mental state.
In order to capture and demonstrate Holdens unspoken thoughts, Salinger utilizes an ironic selection of details. Holden, lonesome and desolate, longs to disregard his past encounters, however , as he breaks the record intended for his sis Phoebe, he didnt feel like just throwing [the pieces] away (Salinger 154). This unbroken tie to his past reappears as he identifies the stress and concern of his parents and his whole goddamn stupid bunch of relatives in the event he perished (155). Incongruously, he imagines only his fear of picturing [his mother] not knowing what to do with all [his] suits and athletic gear and all fantastic abhorrence of his grandpa calling out your numbers of the streets as you ride on a goddamn tour bus with him, these minor and unparalleled details highlight Holdens ultimate mental deterioration (154, 155). Holdens internal deterioration carries on as he complains about squandering all of his money, after making this proclamation, he unwarrantedly casts his coins into the pond and explains that [he didnt] know why [he] achieved it, but [he] did it(156).
Holdens feelings of solitude and wavering mental conditions seite an seite the disheartening, abandoned placing of the pond in Central Park. Because Holden wanders through the recreation area looking for the lake, he expresses that he knew right exactly where it wasbut [he] nonetheless couldnt still find it (154). This statement represents Holdens mental state of being, he suggests that he knows what he wishes in life however cannot appear to locate this. When he finally does get the pond, it appears to be to some extent frozen and partly not really frozen, from this condition, the lake represents Holdens dodgy position around the border between rationality and insanity (154). Desperately trying to find the ducks, Holden once again appears to be looking for companionship. Yet , all of the ducks have disappeared, and he could be left in isolation. Since Holden edges toward the health of mental instability, he symbolically comes close to really near [falling] in once (154). By italicizing the word in, Salinger creates a dual entendre, Holden appears to be in danger of virtually falling into the lake and figuratively plunging into a state of mental collapse.
Finally, through his make use of repetition, Salinger emphasizes Holdens preeminent detachment from the world and progress into physical insanity. When he wanders through the park, this individual continuously reemphasizes the darkness around him, in fact , as the chapter progresses, the scene is usually described as receiving darker and darker (154). Ultimately, Holden expresses that Its quite good when the team out, but the sun just comes out when it feels like coming out, as the darkness of the picture successively definitely seems to be significantly modern, Holdens feelings of remoteness magnify towards the extent of escalating his feelings of hopelessness (156). These feelings eventually make apprehension and fear of fatality, the ultimate state of isolation and disconnection from others. As Holden ponders this kind of possibility, he repeats the assertion that cemeteries are Surrounded by deceased guys(155). Sense isolated and solitary, he concludes that his distance from society will much aggrandize following death, therefore , he cannot take [his] mind away his anxiety about getting pneumonia and about to die (156). In his mentally degenerating state of being, Holden really believes that he is perishing, consequently, he also deems it required to consistently state his sister Phoebes fondness and love of him. Needing to confirm this like in order to encourage himself of its certainty, he asserts that Your woman likes me a lot. After all shes quite fond of me personally. She really is, this repeating illustrates Holdens hesitation in recognizing blatant human love (156).
As Holden Caulfield wanders through Central Park, T. D. Salinger adroitly contains an ironic selection of details, a emblematic setting, and a revealing repetition of facts to be able to examine this kind of estranged, annoyed characters feelings. Sinking further and further to a state of psychological problem, Holdens detached and going down hill thought processes ultimately foreshadow his impending, complete mental breakdown.
