Holden Character Development

The Catcher in the Rye revolutionizes character development., The Catcher in the Rye, a short novel by author J.D. Salinger, details the life and inner monologue of protagonist Holden Caulfield. We only see Holden in a few physical settings, but the depth of his mind is immense. Holden has an unfathomable distaste for the world around him, and hides his true feelings behind a persona. His beliefs that the adult world is full of cynicism and corruption stick with him through the entirety of the novel, but his reaction to these ideas molds to become more healthy in conclusion. Despite the overarching theme of disconnection to his negative actions, there is definite growth in Holden's attitude throughout the novel. We see him rise through

This is reflected in his dialogue and how he narrates the story, ultimately moving along from point to point, but constantly digressing and taking steps backward to explain completely unnecessary details. Holden accomplishes in one “chapter” what he could in half a chapter due to his squandering. In a more blatant way, the actual plot of these chapters is that Holden has flunked out of his current school, Pencey Prep, and moves on to life by himself in New York. He goes through a plethora of changes as a result of the new layers of stress and challenges added to his life by this new and unfamiliar setting. There is a severe duality that can be picked up in Holden’s behavior, a clash between his younger, naive complaints, and his wish to act maturely and be perceived as an adult. One perfect example, is Holden’s perception of sex and maturity in relationships. Holden is a virgin, both romantically and sexually. He outright claims to be experienced in both attributes of

The type of behavior expressed by Holden as the novel goes on, is surprising given his initial mindset. While the traits that make him unique stay intact, as an entity he is able to move forward and make unique discoveries. He perceives the world around him in a jaded and biased way, but that is just who Holden is. He grew to accept the world around him, as the awful place that it is, even through the discolored lenses he viewed them through, and found himself truly comfortable even in the icy, pouring rain. He was truly happy doing something so simple despite the stress of his life. It’s this crucial moment of the book where we don’t need to see the “rest”. We know by the setting presented at the beginning, and the positive ending, that Holden is on a path to