The most real literary character I've read from the novel The Catcher in the Rye. JD Salinger, the author of Catcher himself, often referred to Holden as a real person, saying things like, "No, Holden wouldn't like that."
Depressed throughout the novel, he takes jabs at the injustices around him, calling many people and things "phony," and while usually true, stating this only made him more depressed.
People he liked included his dead brother Allie, his kid sister Phoebe, and Mr. Antolini, a teacher at a former school of his who cleaned up the dead body of Kevin Castle after he killed himself by jumping from a dorm window.
Depressed throughout the novel, he takes jabs at the injustices around him, calling many people and things "phony," and while usually true, stating this only made him more depressed.
People he liked included his dead brother Allie, his kid sister Phoebe, and Mr. Antolini, a teacher at a former school of his who cleaned up the dead body of Kevin Castle after he killed himself by jumping from a dorm window.
Some quotes of Holden Caulfield:
"Goddam money. It always ends up making you blue as hell."
"High school's full of phonies, and all you do is study so that you can learn enough to be smart enough to be able to buy a goddam Cadillac some day, and you have to keep making believe you give a damn if the football team loses, and all you do is talk about girls and liquor and sex all day, and everybody sticks together in these dirty little goddam cliques."
"Sex is something I just don't understand. I swear to God I don't."
"Goddam money. It always ends up making you blue as hell."
"High school's full of phonies, and all you do is study so that you can learn enough to be smart enough to be able to buy a goddam Cadillac some day, and you have to keep making believe you give a damn if the football team loses, and all you do is talk about girls and liquor and sex all day, and everybody sticks together in these dirty little goddam cliques."
"Sex is something I just don't understand. I swear to God I don't."
by jose rodriguezz May 8, 2006
to 'pull a Holden Caulfield' is to go on a trip with no real aim in mind; a day trip (or night trip) that is completely reliant on one's stream of consciousness; based on Holden Caulfield's random journey through New York from J. D. Salinger's novel, "The Catcher in the Rye."
We had no idea what we wanted to do or where we wanted to go, so we pulled a Holden Caulfield and rambled around for a while.
by mzcaravan April 10, 2010
The main character from The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. A euphemism for someone who is carrying marijuana.
by Atroxodisse August 6, 2004
Hi, I'm Holden Caulfield.
I don't do my work at school, even though I'm super-intelligent and know I could ace anything in school I wanted. I pretend to be dumb, so people will ignore me. I'm an underachiever but I know I could do better. I could dream if I want to, but dreams are merely fake. Teachers are always frustrated. They bully me, so what's the point in trying? Also, girls don't tend to like me much... they almost always go for the guy who's popular, in football, has all the money. I get called a dweeb a lot. I have low frustration tolerance. When I was running at track I felt so higher than everyone in the class I felt like I could kill almost everybody, frustration makes me crazy. Even though I wasn't the best runner & almost finished close to last, I know that I deserve more respect than this. Damn society forcing me to do this bullshit. Saying football is only good for raising your social status, and impressing females. I had sex with a prostitute. Sex is kinda overrated. It wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be. No, no feelings were reciprocated. Oh well. Teachers tell me I have potential but school and society is so fake. I hate the fakeness of it all. I just don't give a shit, man. It's so phony. Everything in society & about society is phony. It's a sick fuckin world. We all live in lies. Why even try? Who is there to impress? No one there to impress except myself. I'm Holden, you are all fake & lower than me in terms of universal intelligence.
I don't do my work at school, even though I'm super-intelligent and know I could ace anything in school I wanted. I pretend to be dumb, so people will ignore me. I'm an underachiever but I know I could do better. I could dream if I want to, but dreams are merely fake. Teachers are always frustrated. They bully me, so what's the point in trying? Also, girls don't tend to like me much... they almost always go for the guy who's popular, in football, has all the money. I get called a dweeb a lot. I have low frustration tolerance. When I was running at track I felt so higher than everyone in the class I felt like I could kill almost everybody, frustration makes me crazy. Even though I wasn't the best runner & almost finished close to last, I know that I deserve more respect than this. Damn society forcing me to do this bullshit. Saying football is only good for raising your social status, and impressing females. I had sex with a prostitute. Sex is kinda overrated. It wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be. No, no feelings were reciprocated. Oh well. Teachers tell me I have potential but school and society is so fake. I hate the fakeness of it all. I just don't give a shit, man. It's so phony. Everything in society & about society is phony. It's a sick fuckin world. We all live in lies. Why even try? Who is there to impress? No one there to impress except myself. I'm Holden, you are all fake & lower than me in terms of universal intelligence.
^^Holden Caulfield is the main protagonist character in the 1951 J.D. Salinger novel Catcher in the Rye.
by Holden M Caulfield January 11, 2016
The most piss-poor example of a teenager i have ever read about. Anyone who "connects" with him on a "personal level" is slightly mentally unstable.
"Dude, did you read 'The Catcher in the Rye'?"
"Oh yeah, that book with that piss-poor example of a teenager Holden Caulfield?"
"Yeah thats the one."
"Oh yeah, that book with that piss-poor example of a teenager Holden Caulfield?"
"Yeah thats the one."
by Brains McGee March 20, 2009
Protagonist of the best book ever written for teenagers, The Catcher In The Rye. Holden is depressive, narcissistic and self obsessed yet he is strangely sexy and overwhelmingly likeable. Just ask any teenage girl (or boy, if you swing that way): Holden is the sexiest literary character ever.
Yes, even more so than Sirius Black.
Holden refers to everybody as a phoney, hates his private school friends, hates himself and hates just about everything else.
Yes, even more so than Sirius Black.
Holden refers to everybody as a phoney, hates his private school friends, hates himself and hates just about everything else.
"Damn, I would so spoon Holden Caulfield!"
"If Holden Caulfield were alive today, there is a 98.9% chance that he would be emo...and sexy"
"If Holden Caulfield were alive today, there is a 98.9% chance that he would be emo...and sexy"
by bandanasarerad January 15, 2007
Holden Morrisey Caulfield, appears in J.D. Salinger's Slight Rebellion off Madison, published in the December 22, 1946 issue of The New Yorker. This was the basis for several chapters in the book, The Catcher in the Rye where Holden has a date with Sally Hayes.
Holden Morrisey Caulfield usually wore his chesterfield and a hat with a cutting edge at the “V” in the crown.
by Holden Morrisey Caulfield May 28, 2006