“The Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger revolves around the life of Holden Caulfield, an anguished teenager who perceives his world as full of deceitful individuals. Seeking authenticity, Holden spends a few days residing in a New York hotel. Regrettably, he encounters nothing except for his isolation, letdowns, and the prevalence of fakeness. This novel explores various themes, with the predominant ones being the loss of innocence, grappling with mortality, and the absence of effective communication. These themes illuminate the circumstances that shaped Holden’s existence.
The loss of innocence is a result of the surrounding environment and the process of maturing into adulthood. When Holden visits the museum of natural history, memories of a previous trip during his school days resurface. He contemplates the contrast between innocence and youth. “The museum’s most remarkable aspect was that everything remained unchanged. No one moved. You could visit a hundred thousand times and still find the Eskimo in the act of catching those two fish… Everyone else would stay the same. The only thing that would change is you.”
According to Holden in The Catcher in the Rye by Salinger, growing up is not only about getting older but also about becoming different. He believes that unlike in a museum where things remain unchanged, children lose their innocence and become part of the adult world as they grow older. Holden cherishes his time spent with his sister Phoebe as she truly understands him. However, spending a lot of time with Holden causes a change in Phoebe’s attitude. This is evident when their mother notices the lights flickering and goes into Phoebe’s room asking if she has been smoking a cigarette.
In this passage, Phoebe denies smoking to her mother and responds rudely when questioned. She admits to briefly lighting a cigarette and throwing it out the window. Despite her father’s warning about using inappropriate language, Phoebe describes her dinner as “lousy.” (Salinger 177) This interaction illustrates the impact Holden has had on Phoebe’s behavior. Furthermore, Holden’s mistrust of adults stems from his belief that the adult world is deceitful and filled with insincere people.
Holden’s concern for the innocence of little children becomes apparent as he attempts to remove profanity from the wall at Phoebe’s school. He explains, “While I was sitting down, I saw something that drove me crazy. Somebody’d written ‘Fuck you’ on the wall. It drove me damn near crazy. I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see it, and how they’d wonder what the hell it meant, and then finally some dirty kid would tell them- all cockeyed, naturally- what it meant, and how they’d all think about it and maybe even worry about it for a couple of days. I kept wanting to kill whoever’d written it.” (Salinger 201) This illustrates Holden’s deep concern for preserving the innocence of children, as he believes that losing it will cause them to mature at an accelerated rate.
Dealing with death is a challenging experience, particularly when there is no closure. Holden greatly loved his brother Allie, and his emotions clearly demonstrate his genuine care for him. This is evident as he shares his reaction to Allie’s death: “I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the windows in the garage. I don’t blame them. I really don’t.
The text suggests that Holden was deeply depressed and expressed his anger and aggression by breaking all the windows in the garage with his fist. Following this, Holden reveals that he was unable to attend his brother Allie’s funeral because he was hospitalized after injuring his hand. He reflects on his fear of pneumonia due to the ice in his hair and contemplates the idea of his own death and burial. This lack of closure with his brother makes it difficult for Holden to move on from the past. Furthermore, he imagines conversations with Allie and feels a strong presence of his brother’s spirit. As Holden crosses the street, he perceives a constant fear of not making it to the other side.
At the end of each block, I would pretend I was talking to my brother Allie, saying, “Allie, please don’t let me vanish. Allie, don’t let me vanish. Allie, don’t let me vanish. Please, Allie.” (Salinger 198) This portrays the intensifying longing he has to converse with Allie and his reluctance to let go. Furthermore, it demonstrates that not bidding farewell to Allie keeps him dwelling in the past.
Holden faces difficulties in effectively communicating with others due to his inadequate communication skills, making conversations challenging for him. He prefers not to communicate unless compelled to do so. This is evident when Spencer inquires if he has spoken to his parents yet. Holden responds, “‘No, sir, I haven’t communicated with them because I’ll probably see them Wednesday night when I get home.'” (Salinger 9) This showcases his inclination to wait until he is compelled to communicate with his parents rather than taking the initiative to talk to them immediately.
Furthermore, Holden devises unusual strategies for connecting with someone. “While I stood there, I started pondering the idea of reaching out to old Jane—by calling her long distance at B. M., the school she attended, rather than contacting her mother to inquire about her return. Though it was against the rules to call students late at night, I had a plan in mind. I intended to inform whomever answered the phone that I was her uncle. I would claim that her aunt had just tragically passed away in a car accident and that I needed to speak with her urgently. Surprisingly, this scheme would have succeeded.”
The text highlights Holden’s immaturity in communication and his need to be in the mood to interact with others. This is evident when he says that he can’t engage in certain activities if he’s not in the mood (Salinger 63). This lack of maturity also manifests in his timing of conversations, as seen when he asks a personal question about someone’s sex life at an inappropriate moment (Salinger 144). These instances depict Holden’s struggles with communication, which contribute to his feelings of loneliness, disappointment, and phoniness. In my opinion, the three main themes in The Catcher in the Rye are loss of innocence, dealing with death, and lack of communication.
