Haulden_Caulfield

First Literary Essay: “The Catcher in the Rye” Theme: Holden Caulfield´s fixation on childhood The novel “The Catcher in the Rye” written by J.D. Salinger in the late 1940’s, is one of the most controversial and influential books of the twentieth century. One of the most relevant aspects that arises throughout the book is the very particular vision that the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, has of childhood opposed to adulthood. In this essay the main aspect to be analyzed in depth will be Holden Caulfield's fixation on childhood. He feels trapped between a simple world of innocence, which he identifies with childhood, and a complex, frightful and superficial world that he identifies with adulthood. Childhood and adulthood will be compared and contrasted in this essay in order to analyze the protagonist’s complex inner thoughts and feelings. This aspect is immensely important because it is developed all along the book trough different themes, motifs and symbols. In addition, this aspect is very important to be analyzed because the book itself centers around the process of maturity of an adolescent who is having a hard time going from childhood to adulthood. This book has influenced several generations of Americans and has had an immense impact on teenagers all over the world. The story commences with Holden Caulfield describing encounters he has had with students and faculty of Pencey Prep in Agerstown, Pennsylvania in the winter of 1949. He criticizes them for being superficial, or, as he would say, "phony." After he is expelled from this school for his poor academic performance, he decides to take a train to New York City and stays in a hotel for a period of three nights before arriving at the end to his home. During his stay at the hotel, he has various encounters and peculiar meetings with different people. There is the encounter with a prostitute, Sunny; the encounter with and old girlfriend, Sally Hayes; the encounter with his younger sister, Phoebe and finally the encounter with an old teacher, Mr.Antolini. Through all these different brief relationships, the reader is able to understand the complex personality of Holden Caulfield. For instance, at the end of the novel, he tells Phoebe he is going to escape but finally decides not to because of her insisting he stay. He recognizes his mistake, and has a very profound conversation with his sister about childhood where he explains the metaphor of “the catcher in the rye”. At the end of the novel, Holden decides not to mention much about the present day. He alludes to "getting sick" and living in a mental hospital, and mentions that he'll be attending another school in September. In first place, we can analyze the theme of Alienation as a Form of Self-Protection, to explain Caulfield’s fixation on childhood. All along the book, it is possible to perceive Holden’s isolation and solitude because he feels better than everyone that surrounds him. As he says to Mr. Spencer at the beginning of the book, he feels trapped on “the other side” of life, and he continually attempts to find his way in a world in which he feels he doesn’t belong, the world of “adulthood”. It is possible to say that alienation is the source of what little stability he has in his life, and that he feels he used to when he was a child. In addition, another of the book’s themes that explains Caulfield’s fixation the best is the Painfulness of Growing Up. As his thoughts about the Museum of Natural History demonstrate, Holden fears change and is overwhelmed by complexity. He wants everything to be easily understandable and eternally fixed, like the statues of Eskimos and Indians in the museum. He hates it when he doesn’t understand things, like for example, when he talks about sex and admits that “sex is something I just don’t understand. I swear to God I don’t” in Chapter 9. The world is not as simple as he’d like—and needs—it to be. Nothing reveals his image of these two worlds better than his fantasy about the catcher in the rye: he imagines childhood as an idyllic field of rye in which children romp and play; adulthood, for the children of this world, is equivalent to death—a fatal fall over the edge of a cliff. Also, Caulfield thinks that the adult world is “phony”, a word he uses all the time to describe the superficiality, hypocrisy and shallowness of what he thinks the adult world is like. In second place, we can analyze the motifs of the book and relate it to the fixation that Holden Caulfield has on childhood. Relationships, intimacy, and sexuality are recurrent motives relating to his fixation. They also represent what he fears most about the adult world: complexity, unpredictability, and potential for conflict and change. As he demonstrates at the Museum of Natural History, Holden likes the world to be silent and frozen, predictable and unchanging. But in real-world relationships, people talk back and interact. It is also possible to see that sexuality causes him great anxiety all along the book, for example, when he tries to loose his virginity with the prostitute Sunny, but then he regrets it and sends her away. In third place, we can analyze the symbols of the “The catcher in the Rye” and relate it to Holden Caulfield’s fixation. For instance, the Museum of Natural History is a very strong symbol because it represents what Holden likes about childhood. Holden tells us the symbolic meaning of the museum’s displays: they appeal to him because they are frozen and unchanging. The museum represents the world Holden wishes he could live in: it’s the world of his “catcher in the rye” fantasy, a world where nothing ever changes, where everything is simple, and understandable. Finally, it is possible to explain Caulfield’s fixation on childhood through his two younger siblings. He admires them profoundly and idealizes childhood through them. For instance, Allie, who dies of leukemia three years before the start of the novel is described by Holden as a brilliant, and friendly boy. Holden is tormented by Allie’s death. As well, Phoebe, his younger sister is described as a smart and innocent girl. She is always able to listen and understand Holden and at times seems to think more rationally than Holden. She also represents a very strong source of happiness for Holden. In conclusion, Holden cannot accept the responsibilities and consequences that come with growing up, so to avoid the painfulness of maturing, Holden struggles to remain childish. He finds the adult world perverted and repulsive, but does not realize that he is slowly growing into the world. Due to his struggle to remain immature to society, he is fixated on the incorruption that children possess. He wants to be the 'catcher in the rye'. For Holden, childhood is equal to a serene, unchanging, friendly world and adulthood is equal to a shallow, mediocre and cruel world. I personally think that Holden is much more than a troubled teen going through "a phase." Indeed Holden is a very complex boy with special needs. I think that in order for him to successfully step into adulthood he needs the help and support of his family and professionals. The author of the book, J.D.Salinger is able to capture and portray the typical rebellious and cynical attitude that some teenagers go through before becoming young adults. Bibliographical References * Salinger, J.D. (1941) The catcher in the rye. New York City, USA.: Little Brown and Company * http://www.novelguide.com/thecatcherintherye/themeanalysis Retrieved February 13, 2011 * http://www.bookrags.com/The_Catcher_in_the_Rye Retrieved February 14, 2011 * http://www.enotes.com/catcher-in-the-rye Retrieved February 15, 2011