FREE ESSAY ON CATCHER IN THE RYE

CATCHER IN THE RYE

Holden Caulfied: Saint, Snob, or Somewhere In-between?
Although J.D. Salinger has only one novel to his credit, that novel, The Catcher in the
Rye, is recognized as an exceptional literary work. The key to the success of The Catcher
in the Rye is the main character, Holden Caulfield. There are many different critics that
view Holden in many different ways. Some believe Holden to be a conceited snob, while
others see Holden as a Christ-like figure. It is my opinion, however, that Holden is
somewhere in the middle. Holden Caulfield is a character who has a definite code of honor
that he attempts to live up to and expects to as abide by as well.
Since the death of his brother Allie, Holden has experienced almost a complete sense of
alienation from the world around him. This alienation is evident in every part of his
life. Holden is unable to relate to anyone at the three prep schools he has attended.
While standing on Thomsen Hill, Holden cannot help but feel isolated when he observes the
football game, "you were supposed to commit suicide or something if Old Pencey didn't
win" (Salinger 2). Not only does Holden feel isolated at the schools he has attended; he
has this feeling when it comes to his family as well. Upon his return to New York City,
Holden does not go home. Instead, he chooses to hide out from his family. According to
Ernest Jones, "with his alienation go assorted hatreds - of movies, of night clubs, of
social and intellectual pretension, and so on. And physical disgust: pimples, sex, an old
man picking his nose are all equal cause for nausea" (Jones 7). Holden feels 
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as though all of these people have failed him in some way or that they are all "phonies"
or "corny" in some way or another. It is Holden's perception of those around him as
"phonies" and again according to Jones; "Holden's belief that he has a superior moral
standard that few people, only his dead brother, his 10-year-old sister, and a fleeting
friend [Jane] can live up to" that make him a snob (7). 
Presenting Holden as "snobbish" hardly does him justice. Critics such Frederick L. Gwynn,
Joseph L. Blotner, and Frederic I. Carpenter view Holden as a character who is
"Christ-like in his ambition to protect children before they enter the world of
destruction and phoniness" (Carpenter 24). Holden's experiences throughout the course of
his life have created a desire in him to preserve the innocence of those he considers to
be innocent. He attempts to physically overpower Stradlater when he realizes that
Stradlater may have "screwed around" with Jane Gallagher, whom Holden considers to be
innocent simply because she "plays checkers with more regard for the symmetry of the
pieces on the board than for the outcome of the game"(Gwynn 13). Along with Jane
Gallagher, Holden wishes to protect his sister Phoebe, who is very much like Allie in
that she has a mix of youthful innocence and generosity that overwhelms Holden. The best
example of this generosity is when Holden is moved to tears because Phoebe gave him all
of her Christmas money. Simple acts like this motivated Holden to want to be Christ-like.
Holden's desire to be Christ-like is best evidenced in the following quotation:
"Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field 
of rye and all. Thousand of little kids, and nobody's around- nobody big, I mean, except
me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch
everybody if they start to go over the cliff..."
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Not only is Holden Christ-like in his desire to protect those who are "innocent" but he,
like Jesus, truly "loves his neighbors, especially the poor in goods, appearance, and
spirit" (Gwynn 14). Not only does Holden give ten dollars to the nuns in the station, but
he is also depressed by their meagre breakfast and the fact that they will never be
"going anywhere swanky for lunch" (Salinger 110). He also worries about the ducks
freezing in Central Park, sympathizes with the ugly daughter of Pencey's headmaster and
even Sunny the prostitute (Carpenter 24). Perhaps the quality that is most Christ-like in
Holden is his ability to "forgive like Jesus with his Judas, he [Holden] forgives
Stradlater and the bellboy Maurice who have betrayed and beaten him" (Gwynn 14). Because
of his compassion and ability to forgive others, Holden can also be viewed as a
Christ-like figure. 
While there is evidence to support Holden as both a snob and a saint, I believe that
Holden is a mix between the two. The Catcher in the Rye is the choice of nine of ten
murders, whackos, serial killers and, oddly enough, disgruntled teenagers. John Lennon
was killed to promote this book. In the movie Silence of the Lambs, the serial killer
John Hinkley was also a big Catcher in the Rye fan as well. The level of general
craziness surrounding the book is so bad the movie Conspiracy Theory made it a running
joke, even tracking the protagonist portrayed by Mel Gibson by monitoring purchases of
The Catcher in the Rye. The reason that this book has a universal appeal to such a
variety of people lies in the main character, Holden Caulfield. He can be saintly or
snooty, cynical or sincere. Holden is generous to charitable to nuns and protective or
children, or be agitated at the "zit-encrusted" Ackely. Still yet, Holden is capable of
being quite cynical, 
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the best example of this is in the very opening of the book when Holden states, "If you
really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was
born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all
before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like
going into it, if you want to know that truth" (Salinger 1). Despite his ability to be
pejorative, Holden can still be able to be quite sincere. This is evident in his dealings
with Phoebe. When Phoebe begins to cry, Holden first "wanted her to cry until her eyes
practically dropped out. [He] almost hated her" (Salinger 207). Yet, a few seconds later
he wants to take Phoebe to the zoo and the park to assuage her pain. That is what I
believe makes Holden Caulfied such a fascinating and widely admired character. One minute
he can be bashing "phonies" then the next he will be acting "phoney" to a mother of a
classmates as he was on the train to New York City. So, Holden is neither a saint nor a
snob. He is a sarcastic yet sincere teenager who is pursuing Quixotistic ideals of moral
order. Holden is caught between the anxiety of childhood and the maturity of the adult
world. 
The appeal of J.D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye is due in no small part to the
main character and sole provider of information, the one and only Holden Caulfied. While
some view Holden strictly as an elitist or as a Christ-like figure, I find Holden to a
curious mix of the two. Holden is capable of displaying qualities associated with either
at any moment throughout the novel. It is this mixture of qualities that makes Holden one
of the most fascinating and popular characters in modern literature.
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Bibliography
Works Cited
Carpenter, Frederic I. "The Adolescent in American Fiction" English Journal, 46, No.6 
(September 1957): 315-6. Rpt. in Holden Caulfield ed. Harold Bloom. New 
York: Chelsea House, 1990. 24.
Gwynn, Frederick L., Joseph L. Blotner. "The Catcher in the Rye" The Fiction of J.D.
Salinger (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1958): 28-31. Rpt. in Holden
Caulfield. ed. Harold Bloom New York: Chelsea House, 1990. 13-14
Jones, Ernest "Case History of all of Us." Nation (September 1, 1951): p176. Rpt. in
Holden Caulfield. ed. Harold Bloom New York: Chelsea House, 1990. 7
Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1951.