The Last Meeting

Finding the Right Path Students do not understand what a major impact teachers can have on their lives as a whole. The novel Siddhartha was written by Herman Hesse in 1951. Siddhartha is a novel about a young man, who, through much trial and error, faces troubles in finding his way down the path to enlightenment, or Nirvana. Nirvana is a term that is most commonly tied to the religion, Buddhism. It is best defined as a state of total self contentment and an emptiness in feelings. Throughout the…

Children often develop an urge to go against social norms and expectations when they are faced with the issue of growing up and maturing. The reason behind this rebellious behavior is widely debated upon among thinkers and scholars, one of which is Albert Camus, a twentieth century philosopher and writer who argued that the reason behind adolescent rebellion lies in the fact that young children often have tendencies to maintain their usual habits and innocence while avoiding the responsibility…

Holden’s alienation is a result of his need for some type of reassurance regarding his authenticity.Throughout the chapters he subtly mentions the hardships he had faced in his 16 years of life.Between his brother’s death at a young age, he alludes to being a victim of assault after Mr.Antolini's strange behavior and his strained relationships regarding his parents and romantic interests.According to Freud A. Strachey in his introductory lectures on psychoanalysis states that regression is an…

Holden on to Innocence (Formalist Approach) Through his emotional roller coaster across Manhattan, Holden Caulfield insists on obtaining something that is impossible: the ability to preserve innocence. From the start of the novel, J.D. Salinger straps us in and keeps us gripping on to the bars by revealing detail after detail of Holden’s life, allowing us to better understand his unwillingness to desert the comfort of innocence and conform to adulthood. For example, while speaking to his younger…

The Truth: Behind Gunnar Kaufman’s Eyes Paul Beatty’s hilarious and humorous apprising of Gunnar Kaufman in The White Boy Shuffle is about an inopportune surfer bum who moved from the house that he grew up in, in Santa Monica, to a town called Hillside in West Los Angeles. Throughout his life, Gunnar was only surrounded by people who were dependent on him and who tried to control him. So he does not take charge of his life and because of this, Gunnar is heavily affected by mental stress…

final wish. “He heard a harsh laugh behind him, and turning round saw the old King looking at him with a malicious expression. "Well, my friend! You don't seem to have managed so wonderfully with your first two wishes, do you? What will you do with the last? Turn yourself into a swan? Or turn Leita back into a girl?" "I shall do neither," said Mr. Peters calmly. "Human beings and swans are better in their own shapes (Aiken,3)". Surely, the most significant evidence that demonstrates the theme…

In J.D Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is the main character and he could be classified as being depressed. For several reasons being, Caulfield shows signs of being depressed. He is doing poorly in school, he abuses the use of cigarettes, and doesn’t ever feel like anyone can ever live up to his expectations. “As many as 8.3 percent of teens suffer depression for at least a year at a time, compared to about 5.3 percent of the general population.” (“Teen”). In the…

Society’s stigma around mental illnesses can often add to a person’s problems and struggles. In the book Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the main character, Holden is struggling with the loss of his brother. It is apparent to the reader that Holden has some form of a mental illness, but not apparent to the people in Holden’s life. The stigma is often based around societies assumption that people with mental illnesses are violent or unstable. In one article in states that “people are twice…

Parents often find themselves frustrated and lost when they fail to understand the actions of their children, but try their best to adapt to new situations. In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, the protagonist, Christopher Boone is a fifteen year-old autistic boy living in a dysfunctional family. Ed Boone and Judy Boone, the father and mother to Christopher, are estranged, with Ed being the primary caregiver to Chris. Ed faces many difficulties in raising his son…

In J.D. Salinger's book, “Catcher and The Rye” the main character, Holden is a young man who has already had much to deal with in his life. After dropping out of his boarding school, he travels back home and begins to spiral into a breakdown. Holden’s infatuation with protecting childhood innocence stems from the loss of his brother, Allie. Not being able to fulfill his wants to keep everyone around him “innocent” contributes to his eventual breakdown. Holden becomes obsessed with protecting…