Heroic Cycle essay by gabriella franco

Completion of a Different Cycle

 

  Does anyone in real life ever truly complete the "heroic cycle?" Does the heroic cycle stop at the top, or does it start making another cycle that we must then travel? these are questions that came to my mind when asked if Holden-- from J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye-- had completed the heroic cycle. And even if Holden had, I think his journey wouldn't have ended there, it couldn't have. But to get back to the point, when asked if Holden Caufield completed the cycle, I'd have to say no, he had much longer to go by the end of the novel.

  Holden had completed a cycle, not necessarily the final Heroic Cycle but a cycle that helped him, nonetheless. Throughout the novel, Holden is depressed. by the end of chapter 25, Holden says, "I was damn near bawling, I felt so damn happy"(213). So Holden feels more than depression, which is an accomplishment, to have a range of emotion when you're as melancholy as Holden. But Holden hasn't transformed, he's just opened his eyes a little wider, in my opinion. He's lifting his head up and seeing the world(that he's discovering DOESN'T revolve around him) with brighter eyes.

  Holden has also made it clear that his attitude toward things, like school, haven't changed from chapter 1 to chapter 26. When in the sanitarium, he was asked by a psychoanalysis (and others) if he will apply himself in school the next fall. He says "...how do you know what you're going to do until you do it? The answer is you don't. I think I am but how do I know? I swear it's a stupid question"(213). This shows that Holden has not found determination and that even if he's nicer about it, his feelings toward things haven't changed.

  Some may argue that Holden has indeed completed the heroic cycle by the act of returning home after the day with Phoebe. But I would have to disagree. Even though Holden returns home, he's shipped to a sanitarium on the west coast. This means he wasn't "fixed" by the time he got home. The transformation was still incomplete. Holden still had quite a long way to go, even past chapter 26.

  The goal of the heroic cycle is transformation, and I don't think Holden had "transformed" by the end of the novel. he tells his story in the past tense, and with a mindset of where he is at`the end of the novel, a year later, in the institution. Through the novel, Holden never says things like, "That used to depress me." Everything that had depressed or "killed" him during the narrative, did the same at the end. And although he may not be as harsh about them, Holden still has the same prejudices and judgments as he did the year before. Holden's attitude hasn't done a complete turn-around, and neither has Holden. He still had a long way to go.

  So, when asked if Holden Caufield has completed the heroic cycle by the end of the novel I would definitely have to say, no. Holden still had a long way to go after the last page to reach the end of that particular journey. He still had some cleaning up to do. Holden's character had not done a complete turn-around, he still had a long road ahead of him, as do the rest of us. Salinger had a real-life teenager in a real-life novel containing real-life problems. And in real life, when do any of us complete the heroic cycle?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Completion of a Different Cycle

 

Gabriella Franco

 

due 4-24-07

 

English

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