Of the many fictional characters that I have met and experienced throughout my life, one who has had an influence on me would be Holden Caulfield from J.D. Salinger’s classic novel, The Catcher in the Rye. Having read the book twice, once in eighth grade and once my junior year of high school, I feel that I have a true understanding of Holden and that, in turn, he has influenced me. His story and individualistic outlook on life has, in a way, influenced the way that I live my life and go about dealing with events and issues that I face.

When I first read The Catcher in the Rye, I honestly did not understand or see the point of the book. I was in eighth grade and read the book at leisure, mostly at my father’s urging. He told me that it was one of his favorite books that was truly a masterpiece in writing a realistic story about a unique individual. I was probably too young to be reading it, as I was unable to comprehend Holden’s complex thoughts and opinions. However, this proved to be an invaluable experience for me when I was required to read

it during my junior year as part of my Honors English curriculum. Reading the book for a second time, I was able to pick up on and better understand Holden’s complex feelings and opinions. As I read through the novel, I began to figure out that he leads a troubled life, as he is seemingly always angry and extremely judgmental of the people he meets. While I cannot claim to have had to endure any of the sad events that Holden had to cope with (the death of a sibling, getting kicked out of schools, etc.), I feel that his decisions and lifestyle help me in how I choose to go about tackling issues in my life.

A second part of Holden that has influenced me is his lack of friendliness and his inability to become a likeable member of society. Despite the negative effects of Holden’s personality, I feel that it has had a positive effect on me. It helped to teach me to be a kind and sociable person, as this is a key to happiness in life. Not to say that I was a depressing and unfriendly person before reading the novel, but following Holden’s miserable life gave me reason to believe that, if I were to act in that way, I would be unable to avoid a life similar to his. Holden lives a life of anger and, as a result, seemingly is incapable of being in a good mood. I pride myself in being able to find a happy middle ground in my life, an area in which I am rarely angry and am generally in a good mood. I consider this to be a direct contrast

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