Analysis

= Analysis  = Caulfield, was recently dismissed from Pencey, a preparatory school in Agerstown, Pennsylvania due to the fact that he was flunking almost every one of his classes, except English. This is not the first school he has been thrown out off, according to Holden, Pencey "is about the fourth school [he's] gone too"(9). After speaking with Caulfield and his family members we have concluded that he failed because he didn't apply himself. In short, he didn't even open his textbooks .He "was flunking four subjects and not applying [himself] at all" (4) Many of Caulfield's family members have told us that he is actually very bright a an excellent writer. This has caused us to believe that he doesn't want to go to a prep school and would rather be closer to home. We has concluded hat this longing to be closer to his family is due to a tragic event in his past that occurred three years ago. The tragic event was the death of his younger brother Allie that died three years ago of Leukemia. Caulfield was very close to Allie and still has hasn't gotten over his death. He has even seen hallucinations of Allie at one time. Caulfield has told us that when his life gets confusing he goes back to Allie and his childhood as a "safety" because being a child and being a child were the best experiences of his life. He has expressed how it as less difficult and full of innocence. At the end of Caulfield's first appointment he asked me the question, "You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park? That little lake? By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over?" (pg 60) Caulfield told me that he has asked this same exact question to many, and no one has given him an answer. When he said this, it reminded me that he's not an adult, even though he is beyond judgmental of others. It reveals that Caulfield doesn't understand why the ducks return because he never returns. He has told me about the multiple times that he has "ran away" from his problems, including Pencey. As Holden retold his story to me, I observed that he refers to almost everyone he knows as "phonies." This includes the people he spends a lot of time with. For example, Sally Hayes who is a longtime friend of Holden. The problem is, he thinks she's a "phony." He only goes out with her because she is "good looking" (106). This leads us to another issue in Caulfield's life: understanding women. Caulfield has told me about one girl in particular named Jane Gallagher. Every week he mentions at the end of every single session he would "give old Jane a buzz," but never follows through. During his weekend "adventure" Caulfield has the courage to calla prostitute and Sally Hayes, but not the girl be claims to have feelings for. We concluded that this means that Caulfield longs for companionship, but isolates himself because he's also afraid of letting people in. The only people that he's close too is D.B. and Phoebe. He is not even close to his parents because he feels that they don't understand him and what he wants to do with his life. This leads to another issue. Holden doesn't know that he wants to do with his life. His only answer to the question was that he wants to be "the catcher in the rye" (173). Stopping children from growing up isn't an actual profession, so Caulfield has no actual future plans. This is due to the fact that he doesn't accept the fact that he's growing up. He can't and refuses to take on the responsibilities that are associated with adulthood. Change is his largest fear and he hates accepting it. He would rather stay a child forever, than become a "phony" adult.