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Towards Holden’s introspection


The catcher in the rye by J.D. Salinger, is a fascinating novel that presents Holden Caulfield, a sixteen year-old adolescent, as the main character and narrator of a story that relates his own experiences in New York city in the days following his expulsion from Pencey prep in Hagerstown, Pennsylvania. Holden is a lonely, depressive, confused, rebel and negative person that presents some personality problems and low self esteem which have affected his interpersonal relationships since he also perceives the world as hypocrite and false. It is possible that Salinger has somehow managed to capture the conflicts and identity crises which many young adults of his age are caught in. in my opinion Salinger presents behaviors that go beyond the common conduct of an adolescent of his age. Besides, the novel is intended also as a piece of social criticism, calling for integrity and human interaction in a mechanized and selfish society that is so indifferent about other people problems.

Perhaps the deepest theme of the book is Holden’s difficult boundary between childhood and adulthood. Holden belongs in neither of these two worlds (as many adolescents do) which cause much confusion since Holden seems to fear change and maturity, giving great sentimental weight to childish pleasures while fearing the qualities that mark adult life. Holden considers that adults corrupt children’s innocence, this is seen when Holden tries to erase naughty words from the walls of an elementary school where his younger sister Phoebe attended, also is seen when a kid Holden admires for walking in the street rather than on the sidewalk is singing the Robert Burns song “Coming’ Thro’ the Rye.” also, when Phoebe asks Holden what he wants to do with his life, he replies with his image, from the song, of a “catcher in the rye.” Holden imagines a field of rye perched high on a cliff, full of children romping and playing. He says he...