Does the mention of The Catcher in the Rye make you groan and remember literary circles in high school designed to try and convince you Holden Caulfield’s narration wasn’t exceedingly annoying? I don’t blame you.
Upon first read of this literary classic, it’s hard to relate to or understand the protagonist, Holden: he’s judgemental, immature, and pretentious. The story follows him through a few days of his life after being expelled from yet another school, having failed most of his classes. Instead of immediately going back home, the 16-year-old takes a trip to New York City alone.
Personally, after reading it a second time, Holden becomes more transparent. It’s not that his narrative becomes more palatable, because he’s still very much written as an angsty teenage boy, but his actions begin to make more sense. Holden is acting out the compounded trauma of the death of his younger brother and the suicide of a classmate. He struggles to understand the actions (or lack thereof) of adults in his life, how childhood innocence can fade, and his own sexuality.
The reaction of disliking Holden is one that most other characters in the book take but that should be questioned by the reader. Cab drivers are annoyed by his philosophical questions, and teachers are frustrated by how he doesn’t take his studies seriously. No one stops to question why Holden is unable to function in society. No adults, including his parents, take note of how much pain he’s in and the grief that he grapples with in isolation. This further perpetuates his unease of becoming an adult himself, illustrated by his fantasy of becoming a “catcher in the rye” — a figure who stands at the top of a cliff and looks out for children about to fall off.
This well-known novel also features the iconic scene of Holden inviting a prostitute to his hotel room, and instead of doing the deed he ends up using her as a therapist and paying for her time. Holden acts about as responsibly as any 16-year-old boy is expected to (which is to say, not very much), and in doing so balances out painful memories with some unexpected laughs.
While many identify with Holden and look up to him, it’s safe to say that the novel opts to encourage readers to empathize with Holden rather than emulate him. He isn’t a hero by any means; he’s a lonely, grieving boy struggling to move on from traumatic events and understand his place in the world. By the end of the novel, Holden ends on a positive note, beginning to accept help, mature, and connect with others. He represents hope for those who feel alienated by society and an opportunity for readers to move past initial judgements to see a character for who they really are.
Chandy is a biology major/chemistry minor who's been a staff writer, Arts editor, and Managing Editor at The Cascade. She began writing in elementary school when she produced Tamagotchi fanfiction to show her peers at school -- she now lives in fear that this may have been her creative peak.