"The Catcher in The Rye" is a novel by J.D. Salinger.

Despite Holden Caulfield’s instability and capacity to lie his way through every situation he finds difficult, he is undoubtedly an intelligent person. He tells lies when he finds himself in a social situation which he cannot cope with. Holden also lies to his teacher, justifying it by saying: “I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.” He lies to the prostitute saying: “I had an operation very recently.” “On my wuddayacallit-clavichord.” Before and after these social incidents Holden is always severely depressed. After the prostitute has left he is again depressed and begins to talk out loud to Allie his dead brother: “I kept telling him to go home and get his bike and meet me in front of Bobby Fallon’s house.” Here his depression is mixed with guilt about not having treated Allie well. This trail of clues makes it very clear that Holden’s mental stability is extremely fragile.

During his few days in the city Holden has a number of opportunities to be with and talk to people. On each occasion his inability to control what he says destroys the opportunity. When Maurice the elevator man threatens him Holden begins to cry, after he has struck Holden and Holden has gotten over it he debates suicide: “What I really felt, though, was committing suicide.” He thought of jumping out of the window and only stopped because he was not sure that someone would cover him up when he landed. When he meets Sally Hayes he presents her with a childish fantasy: “I could get a job somewhere and we could live somewhere with a brook and all and, later on, we could get married or something.” Seconds later, following her reply he is screaming at her. But Holden is intelligent enough to recognise his condition. Several times he tells the reader: “ I swear to god I’m a mad man,” or “ I’m in a bad shape I’m in a lousy shape.” Not only is the reader sure by this stage that Holden is mentally sick but Holden is also aware of his own condition.

Holden Caulfield’s wealthy background may have been a contributory factor in this breakdown. His parents, about whom he says little, do not appear to care much for him, though he always has plenty of money. Allie his dead brother is a source of difficulty for Holden as is his older brother, D.B who is on the way to becoming a “phoney” through “prostituting” himself in Hollywood. It is these experiences that have undoubtedly shaped Holden’s unpredictable, lonely unbalanced personality.

Holden certainly feels closest to children. His younger sister Phoebe is his main source of pleasure. She is the example of the “ non-phoney” the innocence of children. There is a moment however, when Phoebe becomes aware of the realality of her brother’s problems. “She was looking at me sort of funny.” She realises she must humour Holden and protect his illusions, there after she must act out the role of little sister. Now the reader is in no doubt as to Holden’s condition.

The breakdown is not only emotional but also physical, Holden tells us: “But I was afraid I’d feel like vomiting again,” “I sort of had diarrhoea,” “I thought I was going to pass out cold.” These repeated references to Holden’s physical sickness are the conclusive evidence of Holden’s total breakdown, he is becoming quite out of control. Of this there is no doubt for the reader since Holden is no longer maintaining his grasp of reality. He is indeed on the verge of collapse into total breakdown.

J.D.Salinger’s novel “The Catcher In The Rye” is really a most convincing portrait charting the mental decline of a socially inept adolescent through his own account of a three-day escape to New York. It is certainly convincing the way the author allows Holden Caulfield a compulsive monologue, which steadily reveals his tragic decline into emotional breakdown.

 

 961 words                                                                                          Jennifer Dickson