Catcher in the Rye- Question 2

The question I will be answering is "What are the causes, gains, and losses of the conflict dealt with in this book?" from the book Catcher in the Rye. The conflict itself is more internal than anything else because it deal with Holden. He wants to have friends and be social but he can't because he always sees people as fake and phony. He really struggles with belonging in the story. Holden feels like everyone else is putting on an act and he is the only real one which hinders him in relating to anyone. In the beginning of the story, Holden is sitting by himself while everyone else is at the big game at Pencey. He alienated himself from everyone in his school (Salinger 3). This is the point of the book where I really see that Holden is struggling. You can tell he wants to be at the game, especially when his roommate is with Jane Gallagher. One cause is the schools Holden goes to because he is always getting suspended or expelled from where he goes. Leaving him virtually not time to hang out with people and make friends. A second cause is the problems he has with his family and family relationships. Holden's dad is a very well known lawyer which makes him have a lot to strive for. Also his brother is a big shot Hollywood writer, making him easily comparted to his brother. The gains didn't come until the end of the story when he starts to find happiness as he is watching his sister on the merry go round. He begins to be able to really be himself around his sister which makes things easier for him. Another gain from the conflict is that Holden can explore with people. He can go around with people and decide who he wants to surround himself with and set aside the people that do not fit him (Salinger 103). A loss for Holden was when he was not in a good state of mind he lost a lot of opportunities to meet new people.