Why Holden Caulfield is My Hero

As always I put off the reading last summer for my AP Literature class, little did I know that book would have such a positive impact on me. My class was assigned to read Catcher in the Rye by J.D Saligner, then write a reflective essay on how you related to Holden yourself. This was the first book we read for our summer homework and all the books assigned were classic literature, which I did not read much of in high school. I always dreaded having to spend some of my summer nights sitting in my room reading a book instead of doing fun summer things.I wanted to be outside playing soccer with my friends, working on a tan, or evening running. I even would have rather been inside doing tons of dishes knowing I could at least accomplish something. It did help knowing this book was going to be one of the last summer assignments of my life. The night before it was due I began reading thinking, well I just gotta get this book read and as for the reflection I can just BS my way through it and just be done. I took this class because I wanted that grade weight of the class and to challenge myself even though I knew it was going to be pretty boring. Believe me it was rough sometimes but knowing I had someone who put as much effort in my work as I did made me feel a lot better. The teacher I had for this class I had previously for a creative writing class, and I liked her even though each paper I turned in was constantly covered in ink from her pen.Composition and Culture helped me realize not everyone is lucky like me to have someone like Ms.Rogalski who will spend many class periods working with you to improve your writings. It is important to take constructive criticism and put it to use. (Shout out to Catherine Rogalski from Apollo-Ridge High School, you helped me become a better writer and an educated person.)

If you have never read this classic let me tell you about Holden, the book is set in first person point of view so the whole book is told from Holden’s perspective. Holden attends Pencey Prep in Pennsylvania, he flunks out and decides to spend the week in New York City before returning to his home with his parents in Manhattan. Holden is constantly at war with himself trying to discover who he is in a world of “phonies”, and with the loss of his brother Allie three years ago he was not sure who to be. He is transitioning from childhood to adulthood and his inability to grasp on to reality results in his emotional collapse. Is not specified by Salinger but Holden is thought to be suffering from the mental illnesses of anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. During the 1950s mental illnesses were often seen as a weakness in a person. Going to a psychiatric facility during that time just caused their mental health to get worse.

After seeing Holden’s struggles I became interested in the importance of mental health. Holden always reflected on his failures and he could never move on from a bad grade he received. As a result, Holden not being able to accept the fact we are all human and we cannot be perfect all the time caused him to drive himself into the ground, leaving him with no self esteem. Now you are embraced to be vocal about your mental health because once something like a pandemic ends your senior year you learn how to become mentally aware. Little did I ever think my senior year would be ruined by a pandemic and something like my mental health would struggle. After receiving the news schools were going to be shut down for the rest of the year, I sat in my room bawling. All I could think about is what I was going to miss prom, track meets, my chorus concert, inducting fellow students into the National Honors Society, life skills prom, walking through my elementary school, school trips, etc.

As I began to write my reflection I thought about the importance of mental health in today’s world. I never thought some summer assignment would change my life for the better, until it finally happened last June. I never enjoyed having to read for summer work, but this assignment completely turned my opinion around. It always been hard for me to just sit down and read and not be preoccupied by something else. “Catcher in the Rye” was the first summer assigned book I actually read and I am grateful I did. Before this book all summer assignments were completed by me reading a summary on SparkNotes. My experience was better with this story because when I tried reading it I could see parallels in my own life. For instance, in a soccer game if I made a mistake I would dwell on it, but I learned from the book how something small can really ruin you mentally. I read the book and I actually understood and could relate to it which made my experience great.When my teacher spent her time marking up my papers, it helped me see she truly cared about my development as a writer. As much as I complained about my teacher she taught me a lot and I am grateful for her.

Reading gives the opportunity to see multiple perspectives in a person and how they all react to something different. However, we are alike and we all as humans struggle and make mistakes. Growing up I was constantly reading and writing, and once I became busy with school and sports my connection to reading faded away. I can remember whenever I was younger I would always stay up past my bedtime reading books, and not being able to stop until I fell asleep. My mom would tuck me in and immediately once I heard her footsteps I was up, flashlight and book in hand. I was obsessed with the Biscuit book series. I would read at least one Biscuit book a day. I also read many of the classics The Magic Treehouse, Junie B. Jones, Fancy Nancy, The Magic School Bus, and of course Dr.Seuss books. I grew up so eager to read and learn to only read the books required for a class in middle and high school. The thought of staying up late to read for a high school assignment was impossible. For me it is crazy to think we read so much on our phones on social media and by sending text messages without the want to pick up a book, that could actually help your brain grow and keep it alive longer.

In relation to Chloe Wall and her article titled “Racing After Reading”. We similarly lost our passion of reading because of extracurricular activities and both had teachers who heavily influenced us.(Walls 10). It came to the point I was so busy with sports or clubs at school that I would be staying up into the night just to finish my homework. It was very self-depleting because I just wanted to be able to enjoy high school but I was always somewhere doing something. “ Feeling totally discouraged, I completely stopped reading for fun and did the bare minimum when I had to read for school. ”(Walls 10). Chole’s quote completely pinpoints the issue I had with reading. I felt so discouraged that all I wanted to do was enough to turn a good grade and nothing further. Chloe and I were both saved by “a stupid summer assignment” that we thought would just add more work to our plates in the summertime.At some point in our lives we always become distant from reading but always make a way back into loving the smell of a new book with crisp pages.Even with all the importance reading is to your brain I just could not do it. Then, I found my way back. It was such a refreshing experience to be able to sit down and just read. I didn’t have to be anywhere else, I was content with my eyes locked in on all the pages I read. Books aren’t just for reading, they are for teaching lessons in different ways. I became an active reader and improved in class discussions. It not only helped me individually but in all aspects of school. In the words of Holden Caulfield “I'm quite illiterate, but I read a lot” (Salinger, 1951, pg 110 ).

Works Cited

Salinger , J.D. “The Catcher in the Rye Quotes.” Just Great DataBase, 2020, jgdb.com/quotes/book-the-catcher-in-the-rye.

Walls, Chloe. “Racing After Reading: From Shakespeare to a B Flat: Reflections on Reading and Writing 2nd edition. Complied by Emily Wierszewski, 2020. Pages 9-12.