1. What does Holden gain from being kicked out of boarding school?

The story of the Catcher in the Rye revolves around Holden going through his right of passage to become a man. This leads him to act as any teenage boy would through rebelling against his parents. Therefore flunking out of boarding school indirectly shows his parents how he feels. Whether he is doing this consciously or subconsciously is not clear, but either way his message is conveyed. Holden is asking for help in the only way he can. Holden’s personality doesn’t let him specifically ask for help. At the beginning of the book Holden doesn’t quite know what he wants. He thinks he wants to grow up and be free, so by being kicked out of boarding school he appears to have achieved such a result. Holden’s entire adventure in New York City benefits him in more ways than he may realize. His journey led him to discover what he truly wants, to remain innocent forever, and taught him the very important lessons of growing up and not always getting what you want. Although getting kicked out of boarding school is terrible in many ways, overall was a positive experience for Holden.