The Catcher and the Rye: Tragedy or Comedy?

The Catcher and the Rye: Tragedy or Comedy?

In the novel The Catcher and the Rye by J.D. Salinger, I viewed the novel as a tragedy. This novel is based on a sixteen-year-old boy named Holden Caulfield who has not decided what he wants to pursue in life. From the beginning of the novel you get an assumption of what state of mind Holden is in. He began saying in the text “ IF YOU REALLY want to hear about is, the first thing you’ll proberly want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied….” This first sentence basically foretells what type of novel this will solely be based on. His childhood has never been fulfilling to him. Even though his parents have money and send him to all those high priced schools, does not change the fact that money doesn’t buy happiness.

This novel is basically his negative perspective on life and how he wants to escape all the problems he endured. The only person he has ever related to and had a close bond with was dead. When he found out his brother dead of leukemia he stated, “The night he died I broke all the goddamn widows with my fist, just for the hell of it” This just shows how much his brother meant to him. He has never gotten over the death of his brother Allie. When he did mention his brothers name Allie, he would imply in the text that “ You would have liked him.” He never mentioned if he had gotten over his brothers death. There was another example when his roommate Stradlater asked Holden if he could write a descriptive paper on any object. Holden accepted and wrote the paper on his brothers Allies mitt. After he wrote it, he felt happier. Within the first few chapters of the novel, that was the only thing that made him happy. When Stradlater read the paper Holden wrote for him he yelled at Holden and said, “You don’t do one damn thing the way you’re supposed to” That made Holden so upset that he took the paper and ripped it up. This example just shows how obsessed and hurt he is over his brothers death.

Holden was never satisfied with anything that happened in his life. He always found something that always upsets him whether it is material or behavioral. He doesn’t have any real friends. Most of the people that know Holden find him to be immature and annoying. He is constantly judging people on first impression and is always finding flaws on the other people. He has some type of chronicle depression that he has to coupe with alone with no one to guide him. Holden finds himself alienated and has no one to turn to. He even has a girlfriend that he doesn’t really like and hates it when she says “Marvelous to see you! It’s been ages!!” Even though he doesn’t like her, he still stays with her because he doesn’t want to face the world alone.

Holden Caufield is at a depressive state. He even stated in the novel that “what I really felt like, though was committing suicide. Throughout the novel he has trouble sleeping and eating. When he was in a cab passing through the park, the cabby asked “Why aint’tcha in bed?” Holden replies “Im not tired.” When he gets back to the hotel he is staying at, he speaks to a person that worked there and paid for a prostitute to join him in his room. The reason he calls for the girl was not so much about losing his virginity but more for comfort his parent never gave him. He is seeking comfort from a women figure. When the prostitute gets there, instead of having sex he tries to talk