Similarities Between Holden Caulfield And Tradlater

The Catcher in the Rye: Comparing and Contrasting Characters In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the main focal point is Holden Caulfield. Outside of him, there are a handful of other characters that are well developed and contribute to the maturation of Holden, one of them being Ward Stradlater. Although Holden and his roommate Stradlater share a few similarities, the two were arguably polar opposites, most prominently in their personalities, academics, and feelings towards each other. The novel is told through Holden’s perspective, so the reader gets to know other characters based on Holden’s view of them. Holden sees Stradlater as the cliche “popular guy” at school. His personality seems to be exactly the opposite of Holden’s.

He recently got kicked out of his current school, Pencey Prep, due to “flunking” four subjects and not “applying” himself (4). When Holden has a talk with Mr. Spencer, it is also revealed that he dropped out of two other schools. “If I’m not mistaken, I believe you also had some difficulty at the Whooton School and at Elkton Hills” (13). It is also shown that Holden passed one subject, English. His interest in English is shown when he reads books in his dorm, talks about literature such as Romeo and Juliet with the nuns, and writes Stradlater’s composition for him. Holden also states that English was not a hard subject because the material taught at Pencey was the same at Whooton (10). His poor academic grades and low interest show Holden’s uncaring attitude towards school. This attribute of Holden is mirrored in Stradlater. He had a composition due Monday, but went out on a date instead. He ended up forcing Holden to finish his composition for him. Stradlater would have been “up the creek” if he did not complete the work, referencing that this is not the first time he has put off assignments (28). Ward seemed to not care too much about his grades, just as long as he passed. This attribute is shown when he tells Holden to write about anything rather than stating a specific topic. “‘Anything. Anything descriptive. A room. Or a house. Or something you once lived in or

Based on Holden’s descriptions and views on Stradlater, it is clear that he is not fond of his roommate. “God, how I hated him” (42). Although Stradlater is not his favorite person on the planet, there is no clear indication that Holden hates him. Throughout their encounter at Pencey, Holden talks about Stradlater’s characteristics in a friendly way. Holden admitted that he thought Stradlater was handsome, he was somewhat friendly, and Holden “didn’t have to explain every goddamn little thing with him” (33). He also allowed Ward to borrow his jacket and wrote his composition instead of refusing. Even though Holden thought Stradlater was a phony, he still had some respect for the guy. Stradlater on the other hand did not seem to care for Holden all too much. They interacted a few times in their rooms and in the can, and Stradlater mostly ignored Holden. “Stradlater wasn’t hardly listening. He was combing his gorgeous locks” (32). The main reason he kept up a conversation with Holden was to ensure his composition would be written. “Listen. Are ya gonna write that composition for me? I have to know” (29). When Holden gets fed up with Stradlater and starts a fight, he had no problem beating Holden up. “But my nose was bleeding all over the place. When I looked up, old Stradlater was standing practically right on top of me…’Why the hell don'tcha shut up when I tellya to?’”