Holden's conflicts in J.D. Salinger's 'Catcher in the Rye'

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Essay from the year 2000 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 2,0 (B), University of Münster (English Seminar Münster), course: American Teenage Culture of the 50s, language: English, abstract: There arent many heroes in contemporary literature who have aroused so muchdevotion, imitation or controversy as J.D. Salingers Holden Caulfield. Salinger's novelThe Catcher in the Rye, which was banned in America after its first publication, hasinfluenced teenagers and adolescents until today.The very first lines of Salingers novel The Catcher in the Rye apparently indicate thatsomething has happened to Holden that perhaps most readers would not want to knowabout: "If you really want to hear about it...". So, what is The Catcher in the Ryeactually about? It is the story of Holden Caulfield, a teenager growing up in New York,who has been expelled from school. In an attempt to deal with this situation, he decidesto take a trip to New York, but this trip becomes a complete horror trip, during whichhe frequently suffers from unexplained depression, feelings of isolation and thoughts ofsuicide. Finally, his trip ends in a nervous breakdown.Told as a monologue, the book describes Holden's thoughts and activities of this threedayodyssey. Therefore the reader is forced to see social problems from Holden's pointof view. Holden is confused about much of the world around him and he is disillusionedwith life. One of the most significant features of Holden Caulfields character andpersonality is his relationship to other people. The way he feels and thinks about othersas well as the way he treats them, reflects his difficulties with the world he lives in.Undoubtedly, there is a close link between Holdens attitude towards social conventionsand requirements since the people Holden is involved with represent a part of society.On the other hand, relationships always imply feelings, which enables the reader to getan insight into Holdens emotional frame of mind. [...]

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