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Lack Of Responsibility In Catcher In The Rye

744 Words3 Pages

In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is a peculiar character portrayed as a skeptic living in “a world of phonies” in circa 1950. These personality traits can be seen through his doubts of society as well as his way of thinking and acting toward others. He also demonstrates a lack of responsibility adding to his role as a slacker. Holden flunks out of school repeatedly and has no desire to confront his parents. He mopes around the city for days, delaying the inevitable punishments he’s sure to get. Holden Caulfield is an irresponsible character and this can be proven time and again through his thoughts and actions toward himself and others.
To start, Holden was proven to be careless with his schoolwork. He flunked out of several schools, …show more content…

When he wandered the city, he attempted to make “friends” with prostitutes, cab drivers, and random people. He stayed at hotels and never communicated with his parents. When he was missing his sister, he snuck into their house to see her, a thing he wouldn’t have to do if he’d told his family in the first place. Holden didn’t give care much for the future, and this shows in the last chapter when he states he might not want to return to school once he is well. Holden’s only desire or career plan was to be a lowly farmer; not exactly a great career choice when your parents prompt you to attend boarding school after boarding school to ensure you have a good career and future. “‘...we could get married or something. I could chop all our wood…” (Salinger 132). Here, Holden is pressuring Sally to run away with him and live in a farmhouse for the rest of their lives, before even asking her opinion. He didn’t give much thanks to his parents either. His parents were rarely mentioned. Their names, personalities, and many more important factors are left unknown to the reader or analyzer. If he were truly responsible or caring, he would be thankful for his

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