The Catcher in the Rye

I think that there are many causes, losses, and gains in the story The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger. The novel is told from the point of view of a sixteen year old boy, Holden Caulfield, so the reader experiences what he experiences. In the beginning of the story, Holden has recently found out that he is being kicked out of his private school because he is failing too many classes. In a way, this is a loss for Holden. He has lost another school, therefore losing another opportunity for his education. There are several other losses that Holden goes through throughout the book. I think that after awhile of being expelled from schools, Holden lost his way in life. He obviously has no idea where he wants to go, what he wants to be, or what he wants to do. He is simply going through the motions of life without meeting many requirements. Holden lost is sense of stability because of a few reasons. First of all, his life was always changing. He changed schools many times, therefore going to new places and meeting new people. The excitement of those wears off after too many times. Another reason why Holden Caulfield lost his sense of stability was because he was afraid to go home when he got expelled. He would have to tell his parents himself, which he knew would make his parents extremely upset. Holden was still young, and to feel like you can not even go home is a horrible feeling. He would definitely be losing respect from his parents, possibly from others who knew also knew him well. With all of this on his mind, I think that Holden lost interest in the direction of life he was headed for. He really did not care anymore. I think that since Holden was going through the motions and going along with whatever came up, he lost his sense of independence and making decisions.