Image: Manvir Dobb
Holden Caulfield, a self-described “absent-minded”, “yellow guy” and a “terrific liar”, has been expelled from another prep school. Roaming the streets of New York, Holden rallies against a world of phonies and lost innocence.
T. Morris Longstreth discredited Holden as being as “unbalanced as a rooster on a tightrope”. However, it is this lack of balance that makes him a brilliant protagonist and an icon for adolescent readers. His extreme emotions are not outdated and remain relevant to the teenage experience.
Much like James Dean’s Jim Stark, Holden is a cynical outcast. He cannot bear the thought of joining one homogenous group of “phonies” yet fears the judgement of others. Holden only wears his red hunting hat, a symbol of uniqueness and independence, when he knows he will not be mocked by others. Doubtlessly, this fear of individuality is a universal experience for young people, particularly now in this world of social media.
Disillusioned by the truths of society, Holden resists the “vices” of adulthood and sees himself as a gatekeeper, designated to protecting the purity of others. The transition between childhood and adulthood is described as a “crazy cliff” and Holden believes he has to catch anyone who could fall – “I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all”. Salinger perfectly encapsulates the anguish of one outsider, who is scrabbling to preserve innocence.
In spite of his apparent morals, Holden has been criticised for being a hypocrite. This only rounds out his personality. His inconsistencies simply show that he is a maturing and developing human. Salinger portrays humanity here, as everyone is contradictory by nature. Holden’s own flaws and transgressions, such as smoking and underage drinking, show that perfection cannot be realistically sustained, and that is okay.
Nevertheless, it is Salinger’s progressive, albeit subtle, references to sexual abuse that add great complexities to the novel, particularly for the modern reader. Holden is distressed at the thought of Jane and Stradlater being alone in a car. The implication that Jane was abused by her stepfather seems to haunt Holden. In fact, it “bothered the hell” out of him. In one sentence, Salinger offers an explanation for Holden’s reaction: “that kind of stuff’s happened to me about twenty times since I was a kid”. With this trauma in mind, it is reasonable that Holden is “unbalanced” as he deals with the torment of sexual assault.
I would recommend The Catcher in the Rye to both teenagers and anybody who has been a teenager. By being “unbalanced”, Holden’s character is relatable and displays the turmoil of adolescent years. Salinger’s creation of Holden Caulfield is a reassurance that the confusion of teenage life is normal. He particularly appeals to those who feel as though they are lagging behind their contemporaries. His feelings of inadequacy and distrust of others are reminiscent of Ed in I Am the Messenger (Markus Zusak) - another brilliant coming-of-age novel.
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