The Catcher in the Rye

Besides there being many losses in the story of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, there are also many causes. Pretty much the main conflict is that Holden Caulfield, the main character, does not want to go home and face his parents after being expelled from another school. Holden did not apply himself to his studies, which caused him to fail the majority of his classes. The failure of these classes caused the school to be forced to expel him from being a student. It is pretty obvious that every aspect of this book has a cause to it. Holden did not want to go immediately home because he knew his parents would absolutely freak out on him. This was not the first, and definitely one of few schools he had gotten kicked out of. He knew that his mother and father, his father especially, would be very upset. Holden, being a sixteen year old boy, naturally did not want to deal with being ridiculed once again. Instead of going home, he decided to fend for himself for a few days in New York City. His decision was not only caused by the fear of going home, but also his teenage angst that made him feel like rebelling, or feel like he was capable of living on his own. Teenagers are so weird. We think we can do anything. In a way, Holden’s natural rebellion against his parents and formal education caused a positive impact on him; he began to think about what he seriously wanted to do and get out of his life. Though they were caused by something bad, they helped Holden begin to shape his future. After “living on his own” for several days, Holden finally decided to go home. This was caused by many emotions, including his feelings towards his little sister Phoebe. He admired her very much, and I think she inspired him to do the right thing. By the end of the novel, Holden Caulfield basically had his life in order.