Is Holden Caulfield Reliable

To what extent is Salinger’s use of Holden Caulfield’s narration a reliable critique of American society?

J. D. Salinger’s 1951 novel, ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ sparked controversy due to its themes of sex, alcohol, death and prostitution, as well as the narrator, Holden Caulfield’s frequent use of slang and profanity. Holden’s reliability as a narrator is frequently questioned due to his first-person narrative, his confession of being a liar and his generally unreliable nature. Additionally, Holden makes many moral judgements about American society throughout the novel, the value of which must also be questioned.

‘The Catcher in the Rye’ is a first person narrative, therefore the novel is entirely from Holden’s point of view, no one but

Furthermore, he displays complete apathy towards his future, is unable to form connections with other people, and frequently speaks of how he is ‘depressed’ and ‘lonely.’ He even states at one point that; ‘what I really felt like, though, was committing suicide. I felt like jumping out the window.’ Holden is clearly suffering from depression and suicidal idealisation, therefore his mental health may cause us to question his reliability as a narrator as his outlook on life is greatly affected by the way he feels, showed in the fact that he generally puts a negative spin on

Hodge states that ‘Holden is torn between the intellectual desire to be authentic and the chemical interactions inside him, making him increasingly more adult. More ‘phony’.’ which I believe truly encapsulates Holden’s character and inner conflicts. Overall I agree with Hodge that Holden’s unreliability is not malevolent or intentional, but that ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ is a story told by a deeply troubled and emotionally disengaged narrator whose interpretation of events cannot be fully trusted; as Hodge states, ‘Holden’s view is real to him – even though it is