Catcher in the rye, compares t
Catcher in the rye, compares tThroughout life, an individual may endure several emotionally
or physically straining moments. In The Catcher In The Rye, Holden
Caulfield suffers much verbal abuse, as well as physical. Both forms
of the abuse, combined with other factors, eventually leads Holden to
suffer a mental breakdown. Holden�s actions prove that ** �A blow
from a whip raises a welt, but a blow from the tongue smashes
bones.�
Holden experiences several fights throughout the story. Near
the beginning, he begins a struggle with Stradlater, his roommate,
over his friend�s date, Jane Gallagher. Holden was upset to learn that
the couple were alone in a car, knowing Stradlater�s sexual history.
Holden�s mind chooses to push out the incident, so it is foggy in his
head. But all he knew was, he tried to hit Stradlater but missed.
After the miss, Stradlater proceeded to climb on top of Holden and
take hold of his wrists, not letting him up. Stradlater dug his knees
deep into Holden�s chest to keep him from moving. This seemed to
go on for �around ten hours�. When Stradlater finally gave in and let
Holden get up, the struggle started again, ending with a bloody nose
for Holden. Afterwards, although Holden was somewhat offended by
the actions, he did not seem to care about his dripping nose. He went
directly over to Ackley�s room, not even stopping to wipe up his nose.
He also did not seem to care about the overall fight, because he
talked of it like it meant nothing to him. �I had a little goddam tiff
with Stradlater,� he explains to Ackley. �Do you feel like playing a
little Canasta?� This quick forgetting shows that the fight had little
affect on Holden, and that his injury meant little to him.
While Holden is in the Edmont Hotel, the elevator man mentions
the prospect of a prostitute. Holden reluctantly agrees to a throw,
which would cost him five dollars. Holden was very nervous during
his wait, but when the girl showed up he told her he only wanted to
talk. Even though they didn�t do anything, Holden paid his money,
only to find that the girl was promised ten....
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