This five page paper analyzes J.D. Salinger's classic in regard to the characters that attempted to help the character Holden. No additional sources are listed.
Name of Research Paper File: JR7_RAholden.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
on using this paper properly! Introduction In life we are often given numerous people who help us. Some of these people do not intentionally help us, nor do they
even have any significant meaning in our lives. But, in many ways each and every individual we meet and know are our helpers to some degree. In J.D. Salingers novel
"The Catcher in the Rye" we are provided with a main character, Holden, who has many encounters, and numerous individuals who want to help him. Each of the characters in
the novel, no matter how brief their presence is, serves to represent an individual who can offer help of one kind or another to Holden. For example, the prostitute can
serve to help Holden recognize the futility of his endeavors. His room mate can serve to help him understand the need to accept people and stand up for oneself. Each
individual in Holdens life is essentially a helper. Considering the short length of the space available, however, the following paper discusses the people who were obviously there to help Holden.
The people discussed are Mr. Spencer, Carl Luce, Phoebe, and Mr. Antolini. Mr. Spencer Mr. Spencer is Holdens history teacher at the prep school. In the beginning of
the novel we see that Holden admires this man to some degree. Just prior to leaving his prep school Holden goes to see Mr. Spencer. Mr. Spencer has noticed the
troubles that Holden seems to be experiencing and is truly eager to help the boy. He tries to help him by giving him a certain level of understanding regarding life.
He tells Holden that "life is a game" and one should "play it according to the rules" (Salinger NA). Mr. Spencer is trying to tell Holden that he