Who Is Holden Misanthrope In Catcher In The Rye

Not many people realise that people come from different backgrounds and experiences, and therefore, people act stubborn. Many people fail to think through things and also fail to think through the possibilities. In the book, The Catcher in the Rye, it is heavily enclosed on regarding a 16-year-old boy, Holden Caulfield. The book goes through the memories he has, as many things are revealed about him and how he critiques, specifically, society. Holden is not an easy character to understand, which forces the reader to use clues and moments throughout the book to open up Holden. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden can be interpreted as a misanthrope because of his seclusion and hatred toward society. One point to mention is that holden feels the need to give himself these fake names to hide himself from the real world. An example of the names that Holden uses is “Rudolph Schmidt” (Salinger, 54). Back when Holden was in the train and a lady, Ernest Morrow’s mother, sat next to him, Holden used Rudolph Schmidt as his name. Rudolph Schmidt is the name of the janitor that worked at Pencey, and of all names, Holden decided to use his. It is interesting because Holden seems to be afraid to say his own name. If Holden had said his real name back when he was talking to Ernest’s mom, he may have felt

Giving himself alternative names prevents the potential threat of society, keeping his red hunting hat with him protects him from society, and describing society as a bunch of phonies gives him a reason to separate himself from society. All these reasons represent Holden and the different ways that he finds to distance himself. Holden pays attention to the smallest details, which makes him critique society and the details about it. It all adds up to Holden being a misanthrope, while only liking the company of his siblings, who give him what society does