Holden’s quest in “the catcher in the rye” is a search for his identity.

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Holden’s quest in “the catcher in the rye” is a search for his identity.

From the outset of the novel it is clear to the reader that Holden is unsure of who he is. This gives creates ambiguity in the opening chapter. The fact that the main character doesn’t know who he is makes it difficult for the reader to get an accurate picture of his personality. However as the novel progresses we can see Holden’s character begin to emerge and develop. Our first impression of Holden’s character is that he has maturity and wisdom beyond his years. Furthermore we can see a very adult side to an otherwise childish character who “sometimes act[s] a lot older than [he is]”. However whenever Holden tries to act older than he actually is his youthfulness actually shows through. A good example of this is when Holden decides to get a prostitute for “five bucks a throw”. He seems confident and mature talking to ‘Maurice’, however when ‘Sunny’ enters his hotel suite he seems to lose his confidence and his immaturity emerges. The question “Don’t you feel like talking for a while” this seems a very strange thing to say having been so self-confident as to “order” a prostitute to his hotel room. However it may be seen as a cry for companionship. He may have just wanted someone to talk to because he is ‘lonesome’.

        I think there are three things that Holden is searching for. He is looking for his identity as an individual, his identity in relation to his brothers and finally his identity as an American. His identity as an individual becomes clearer as the book progresses. Salinger seems to show Holden as a continually developing character and his individualism is more apparent in the later chapters. “I sat in that goddam bar until one o’clock or so” this shows desperation yet independence in Holden’s actions. That is not to say he enjoys being on his own. Holden constantly complains about how “lonesome” he is. This seems to be a major part of the authors intentions. Holden is an independent character within the novel and this aspect of his character doesn’t seem to fit with the feelings of loneliness he constantly reminds the reader of. Conversely, it is possible to see that Holden has nobody close enough, geographically, to satisfy these feelings. The people who were close to him; Stradalater, Sally and even Ackley were condemned by Holden as phoneys and therefore they didn’t manage to console him. The only people who could really stop these feelings of ‘loneliness’ are his brothers, one of whom is dead and his sister.

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        Holden seems to admire both his brothers. However he places his deceased brother ‘Allie’ on a pedestal. He tries extremely hard to get the reader to appreciate Allie “you’d have liked him”; he says this several times throughout the novel. This device makes the reader can feel that they like Allie and so in turn get closer to Holden and furthermore makes Holden trust them. The difference between Allie and D.B. is clear. Holden seems to think of D.B. as a bit “phoney” and says often that he thinks of his older brother as “prostituting himself” but still reveres him. ...

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