CATCHER IN THE RYE

The Flaws of Holden

The CATCHER IN THE RYE remains the seminal novel on the subject of teen angst and anger since it features a rebellious main character in the form of Holden Caufield . While the character is definitely the quintessential rebel this is really not always a good thing . A rebel may appeal to the angry youth who are rebelling against authority such rebellion can bring about a number of consequences . Yes , there is a certain level of personal joy one can gain from being a rebel but there also are

a number of serious negatives as well . In that regard , the individual who suffers the most from this rebellious behavior is Holden because his antisocial behavior is truly the source of his own angst and issues

While the narrative of Holden is one of a coming of age story it is also a story that is very cynical at its core . That is not an overt criticism of the novel as much as it is an observation of its main character . Holden grows up far beyond his years but his vision is that of a very jaded adult who has seemingly given up on the value of the world . While the novel itself can remain engaging and exciting overall it would be intellectually dishonest to assert that there was not a nihilistic darkness present to the character of Holden

This is most evident in the way in which Holden interacts with the other characters . For example , his condescending attitude for the other young adults Holden possesses clearly shows that he has a major problem getting along with others . In some

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ways , he is outright dismissive of his peers . From this we get a sense that he feels he is better than the others . In another sense , we can assume that he may also be seeking to preset himself from harm

That is , if Holden can limit his association with other people he can reduce the chances that they can affect him negatively . This has the unfortunate effect of making him a withdrawn character that loses a great deal of adult mental growth as a result . This affects his judgment as visible in the sequence where Holden visits the prostitute and a disaster ensues

This is where Holden falters the most because his outlook on society has remained so cynical that it is clouding his judgment . Growth comes from a multitude of origins and one of the most important aspects of growth is to have an adult or developed mental outlook on life . In the case of Holden he is his own worst enemy in the sense that there is little mental growth since his outlook on life is marred by his distrust in others and his benign superiority complex toward them

Not understanding that the meeting with the prostitute was doomed for disaster Holden followed into a "rip off " environment . This allowing his guard to be down and misjudging the character of...