Friday, August 19, 2011

The Catcher in the Rye - Character Analysis: Minor Characters

Phoebe:
I decided to put Phoebe into the category of "Minor Characters" simply because I had a lot to say about Holden and ran out of room for her in that blog. According to Holden, Phoebe is the best thing since sliced bread. She is really smart, funny and a great dancer. But most importantly she listens. One thing that shocked me was to realize that she was a young child. The peculiar thing was that she made some very adult accusations, like when she knew that Holden had been kicked out of school before he told her and when she convinced him not to run away. I believe the Phoebe was the best of both worlds for Holden, and that was why he loved her so much.

Allie:
Allie was not really in the story, but he was definitely relevant to the plot. The narration style really came in handy when learning about Allie. Holden agreed to write a paper for his friend, and that was how we learned about Allie. We learned that he died when he was 11 and that Holden was very upset over it. Holden thought of Allie just like he thought of Phoebe. He treated him sort of like a saint. You know why? Because Allie was still a child when he died. He hadn't been corrupted by the adult world. He was still innocent. That was why Holden loved him so much.

Jane:
Jane was a very special character to Holden, and surprisingly, she wasn't a child. Holden was very confused when it came to sexual relations, and Jane was no exception. Holden said he couldn't ever get too intimate with a girl that he really cared about, such as Jane. Yeah, they did cute things like hold hands, but they never really did anything "sexual." It was obvious that Holden really cared about Jane as a person, and not just an object. When he described her, he didn't focus on the physical side of things. Jane was probably someone who Holden truly loved. She definitely was not phony.

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 2001. Print.

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