Catcher in the Rye Essay

In the novel Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist proves to be quite a self contradicting character. His mind is often pulled in conflicting directions by two compelling desires. One compelling force would be Holden’s wish for a companion against his actions and approach towards people and society. Another would be his yearn to preserve innocence compared to his desire to fit in with adults. Both of these contradicting forces within the main character, Holden, illuminate the meaning of the novel as a whole.
One main conflicting force in the novel would be Holden’s desire for companionship against his attitude and behavior towards everyone he meets. Most of the novel describes his search for friendship as he moves from one worthless encounter to another. Yet, while his behavior leads to his isolation and loneliness, Holden continues to shy away from people and society. Whenever he feels the urge to meet someone, to call up a girl, or to have a social experience, he ends up sabotaging it before he can get hurt. He therefore protects himself so fully that he shuts out any possibilities of curing his own loneliness. For example, his conversation with Carl Luce and his date with Sally Hayes are made intolerable by his offensive behavior. Also, he might want to call Jane, but then he hangs up before she gets on the phone. Holden doesn’t really know why he keeps behaving this way, but as readers we can see it is to protect himself from the harsh adult world.
As he pushes these people away it provides a deeper and deeper loneliness for Holden. The only reason Holden tends to push people away is to ensure himself he will never have to suffer another devastating loss, such as the loss of his brother Allie. Because there was no explanation as to why Allie’s life was taken and it seemed there was no reason behind it, this serves as a main purpose as to why Holden cannot seem to mature and why he views the world as irrational. In the novel,