While some members of society desire to isolate themselves from the impurities and imperfections that plague the world around them, achieving the societal utopia of truth and perfection is one that stands in contradistinction to the definition of humanity itself. In J. D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye, we are situated inside the mind of Holden Caulfield, a teen who has trouble fitting into the apparent “phony” norms and contours that he is expected to assimilate into. In other words, Holden Caulfield is rightfully marked as a deviant misfit, often alienating himself from the ever changing world around him. In my opinion, it would be of value to look away from society as a whole and begin to problematize the totalizing nature of Holden’s rationality. Throughout the novel and society, the evidence to support my viewpoint is ubiquitous. Consider the case of …show more content…
Holden himself begins to attest to this himself subconsciously when his sister, Phoebe, questions Holden’s ability to mature and fit into society. When asked about his aspirations for the future, Holden says “...what I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff--I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all.” (Salinger 22.51-55). Holden’s desire to catch kids falling off the cliff is symbolic of his drive to remain innocent and prevent the world around him from falling off the cliff and