Throughout the trials of life, one may experience joy or sorrow, love or hate, celebration or suffering. Going through life alone can be very difficult. One needs to make the right choices without stuttering and without the constant support of their peers. In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden, the main character, regressed dramatically because of his short temper and loss of interest in life. .
Throughout the story, Holden displays many signs of a short-tempered person. This type of person often snaps at small things as well as taking non-directed comments personally. Holden thought about this while waiting at the museum for his sister. He noticed several vulgar words written on the wall and this really set him off. "That's the whole trouble. You can't ever find a place that's nice and peaceful, because there isn't any. You may think there is, but once you get there, when you"re not looking, somebody"ll sneak up and write "Fuck you" right under your nose."(Salinger, 204) These non-directed comments on the walls really sparked Holden's fury. Another example of Holden's uneasy behavior happened when Mr. Antolini was watching over him while he was sleeping. One could say that Mr. Antolini was just watching over Holden in his drunken state, when suddenly Holden awoke and found Mr. Antolini's hand on his forehead. Holden abruptly clothed himself and headed towards the door. "He kept walking right behind me when I went to the front door, and when I rang the elevator bell he stayed in the damn doorway. All he said was that business about my being a "very, very strange boy" again. Strange, my ass. Then he waited in the doorway and all till the goddam elevator came. I never waited so long for an elevator in my whole goddam life. I swear." (Salinger, 193) The anxiousness was quite apparent in his feelings. Holden just couldn't differentiate a sign of unconditional love from a pass by a homosexual.