Holden Caulfield Individualism

What if we were all put on this planet with no purpose? What if none of our actions had any purpose? These would be common questions asked by existentialists in the mid 20th century. The United States was a new superpower, they would be more benevolent than other superpowers, and citizens took pride in their country. So, how could something so dark arise at such a bright time. These dark thoughts are seen in J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, an existentialist novel that follows the journey of a young teen, Holden Caulfield, who is struggling with society. Existentialist elements, such as going against social structure and striving for individualism, can be seen in the novel through the pessimistic protagonist's eyes, Holden Caulfield,

He refuses to accept that he is becoming an adult. His hair, which has two sectors, on with filled black hair, and the other with salt-and-pepper styled hair, symbolizes his unwillingness to move on to the next stage of his life; adulthood. Holden´s problems are “essentially sexual and moral” as he has had “quite a few opportunities to lose [his] virginity” but has never given into the social expectancies of becoming an adult (Bryan 1070). Holden describes a scene where he dreams of kids playing in a field of rye, and “nobody's around - nobody big… except [him]” (Holden 173). Holden has “to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff” (Holden 173). “Literally sickened by his transition between childhood and adulthood” Holden does not only want to protect himself from of the “phoniness” of adulthood, he also wants to protect the kids from from falling off the cliff, a symbol for the transition into adulthood (Baer and Gesler 407)(Holden

After Holden is insulted by a un-educated cab driver, he checks into his room at the Edmond hotel. From his hotel window, he has a front row seat to the rebellion against society. Holden witnesses one man “do something you wouldn’t believe” (Holden 62). The stranger “took out all these women's clothes, and put them on...[t]hen he put on [a] very tight black dress” (Holden 62). In the room directly to the right of the strangers, he saw “a man and a woman squirting water out of their mouths at each other” (Holden 63). To Holden’s surprise, they “didn’t even bother to pull their shades down” (Holden 62). Those who took part in the action wanted to present their rebellion to all of mainstream society, showcasing their freedom to create their own experience and