“So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.” In seeking to belong there will be barriers to overcome, but firstly what is belonging? Belonging is nothing but a perception that varies from person to person. Belonging links someone with people, self, places, experiences, social context and communication. Belonging is an every day part of our lives; it shapes our identity, our relationships, our acceptance and our understanding. To feel belonging we need to feel a part of something. For instance we may feel a part of a friendship group and feel as though we fit in with them. This can give us a strong sense of belonging. But with belonging, sometimes there are barriers and sometimes those barriers are self-imposed. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of JD Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye” has done just that. Caulfield, often refers to himself as a boy who’s journey started at Pencey Prep (which was is Pennsylvania). Holden wasn’t like the other kids at his school, he struggled with his identity and went from feeling like he was starting to connect with people but as soon as he felt a connection he messed things up, or put up barriers and this resulted in him feeling alienated. Similarly to Charlie from the movie ‘the perks of being a wallflower’, found it hard to belong after the suicide of his best friend Michael. In that being said, those are just barriers separating one from belonging, and there are ways to make us feel like we belong despite these issues. A significant barrier to one’s belonging is a sense of disconnection and alienation. Salinger’s character Holden feels a deep sense of disconnection from the world and himself. “Way the hell up on Thompsen hill” a quote used on page 2 in the novel of the catcher in the Rhy. Salinger uses the setting and Holden's colloquial language to show he is separate from others. His colloquial language reflects a lack of care about his alienation from others. We clearly see from the beginning of the novel Holden lacks connection to place and people. The use of first person and the metaphor in, “after I got across the road I sort of felt like I was disappearing” demonstrates how the idea of disappearing seems like a good idea to him due to his lack of connection to the world and others, this makes Holden feel invisible. He lacks any anchor in his life and as a result does not have a clear sense of belonging. Holden uses a motif of the phone all the way throughout this story . The quote “The first thing I did when I got off at Penn station, I went into this phone booth I felt like giving someone a buzz but as I was inside I couldn’t think of anyone to call” Holden often had this thought, and it was usually about his old friend Jane. The motif of the phone shows his desire to connect with others and find a sense of belonging. His inability to ever follow through with the phone call highlights his inability to connect with others. He is alienated, disconnected, leaving him feeling lonely and isolated. Salinger often showed his honest and frank tone and also shows irony in most things he made his character Holden. “ What I really felt like though, was committing suicide. I probably would of done it, too, if Id been sure somebody would cover me up as soon as I landed.” This quote reflects the extent to which his isolation and alienation was affecting him. His lack of belonging clearly leads him to a dark place where suicide is considered an option for him. It is however ironic that he desires death because he feels like he’s not connected to others but the reason he doesn’t commit suicide because he doesn’t want anybody to see him. “I sort of miss everybody I told you about” is another idea o