Catcher in the Rye

Catcher in the Rye presents the coming of age tale of a teenage boy, Holden Caulfield. His angst and confusion fuels his journey throughout New York City, and portrays the unhappiness and helplessness of an adolescent in an adult world.

Quickly into the beginning of the novel, it becomes apparent that Holden is a very troubled child. He has been kicked out of numerous schools, and does not seem to show positive feelings towards anyone he encounters. As he falls through the cracks, his parents continue to push him into more boarding schools, in hopes of his eventual maturing. Despite their attempts, Holden seems to only drift further away from the path to which he is expected to take as a boy growing into a young man. The city of New York is symbolic for the harshness of the adult world, as it becomes the setting for Holden’s aimless and lonesome journey. “New York’s terrible when somebody laughs on the street very late at night. Your can hear it for miles. It makes you feel so lonesome and depressed” (81). The events which occur and the behavior which Holden exhibits within the city show how unprepared he is for its cruelty.

Holden’s self-destructive behavior works to further deepen his confusion with the world and his maturing process. In Holden’s eyes, habits such as excessive drinking, smoking, and sex appear to reflect adulthood. Despite this, his obvious abuse and misunderstanding of these things shows how far he actually is from obtaining it. Ironically, these habits become the crutch to which he clings to while trying to deal with this confusion and helplessness.