Hardships of growing up

Growing up isn’t easy for everyone. With many adolescent teenagers, there is often an underlying pressure to find yourself, all while trying to manage reasonable grades and be apart of extra curriculars. The Catcher in the Rye is a book that many high school students can relate to. The main character Holden Caufield is very similar and relatable to me because we both like to fool around, we both went to private school, and we are both kind.

Firstly, like Holden, I generally like to fool around. I always tend to make a joke out of most things and usually do not take things too serious. I like to joke around all the time because I have noticed that people who are always serious don’t have fun. For example, when Holden was joking around with Ackley he says, “Sometimes I horse around quite a lot, just to keep from getting bored. I pulled the old peak of my hunting hat around to the front, then pulled it way down over my eyes that way I couldn’t see a goddam thing. “I think I’m going blind,” I said in this very hoarse voice. You’re nuts. I swear to God, Ackley said. I was only horsing around naturally” (Salinger 21). This shows that Holden likes to joke around all the time.

Secondly, Holden went to an all boy private school. We are similar because I did go to a private school but it wasn’t an all boy school. The kids at the private school I went to was just like the kids at Pencey. The food was awful, and when we had parent student lunch they changed the food up to make it look like we ate it all the time like at Pencey. Most of the kids were pretty stuck up and rich. Holden says “Pencey is full of crooks. Quite a few guys came from these wealthy families, but it was full of crooks anyway. The more expensive a school is, the more crooks it has. I'm not kidding” (Salinger 4). This quote is explaining that most kids at private schools are crooks. Lastly, Holden is a very kind person. He is very kind to his sister Phoebe because they are very close. For example when “Holden return to Phoebe’s room and eventually gets her to listen. He tries to explain why he is failing his classes and tells her all the things he hates about school” (Salinger 165). This means he is close to his sister and gives the time and effort to tell her what is occurring at school. With the people he hates, he does not hold a grudge for a long time. Holden says “Like this guy Stradlater I may hate him for a little while, but it doesn’t last too long. After a while, if I don’t see him come in the room, or if i didn’t see him in the dining room for a couple of meals, I sort of miss him” (Salinger 187). This means he is a very kind person and he can’t stay mad at someone. We are similar in both ways way because I do not open up to people that I’m not very close to and I can’t stay mad at someone for a long time.

In conclusion, I am very similar to Holden. Holden does not only relate to me but many other teenagers. He is trying to fit in with the older crowd and grow up fast like teens now a day. His hat symbolizes he is independent and likes to be different and unique from others. Teens in high school are still trying to find themselves and might do things to form who they are as a person.