The Releaser in the Rye The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, was published in 1951 and swiftly became a classic. The novel is notably known for its first person account of a teenage boy named Holden Caulfield, who navigates his way through the difficulties of youth in the 1940s. Throughout the novel, Holden grapples with many societal expectations, and one of the most prominent is masculinity. Holden is pressured to reach a standard of masculinity that he does not believe in due to the pressure from various male role models, his peers, and even himself. Holden’s perception of masculinity is constantly being altered because of the male role models in his life that provide him with different beliefs from his own. Holden’s dad, Mr. Caulfield, is a minor but very impactful role model for Holden that is seen throughout the book. His father is not very prevalent in his life, as seen when Holden talks about Mr. Caulfield’s occupation as a “corporation lawyer” and goes on to state that he “doesn’t really …show more content…
Stradlater is a prime example of the toxic masculinity that Holden encounters in this book. Holden views Stradlater as the embodiment of masculinity, and envies him while he is at Pencey, calling him “a very sexy bastard” (21), and this leads Holden to wanting to be like him. Stradlater is not all good due to him objectifying women and acting as if they are at his disposal, and this idea sticks with Holden throughout the novel. D. B. is Holden’s brother and has a huge impact on how Holden sees the world. Holden looked up to D. B. and called him “my favorite author” (12) until he went “out to Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute” (2). D.B. provides a bad example of masculinity because, even though he is in Hollywood making dough, he is not doing what he truly loves, which is writing, and that shows how he sold his self-respect for