Catcher In The Rye Identity Analysis

Both stories feature teenagers growing up in the 50’s trying to find their true identity while juggling the everyday struggles of being a teen. Catcher in the Rye follows a 17 year old boy named holden who has been dealt a bad hand of cards. His younger brother passed away from leukemia and it changed his life completely. J.D Salinger uses loss in this book to shape how Holden acts and views the rest of the world. It really is the main cause of his inner hatred for himself and others, because he was just too scared to get too close to anyone and have them leave again. By using loss it really brings Holden's characteristics out and gives a reason as to why he acts so rebellious against everyone. In this specific scene when Allie dies it really
I'm quite a heavy smoker, for one thing—that is, I used to be. They made me cut it out. But I didn't listen.” (Salinger 7) By adding the part about how he's a heavy smoker and didn't quit even though he was told to, it really brings to light just how bad he wants to make and follow his own rules. No matter what someone would say to him he would still go against it, and that's the main reason he feels so alienated and alone all the time. He wouldn't let anyone in to help or guide him through these tough times so now he's just making it up as he goes. This sense rebellion that Holden seems to always carry around with him is just what most teens feel like when being told what to do. The problem is if they aren't helped, they end up finding out the hard way why you are supposed to follow the rules, which is what holden found out when he ultimately ran
A lot of failure. When growing up, we all end up failing one way or another whether that be with people or grades or even everyday situations. For Holden he failed his classes in school, flunked out of several boarding schools, and failed to communicate to the ones who cared about him. This all stems from Allie's death still and how he felt he failed trying to save him. So now holden feels as if it's his duty to not fail others, this being the reason he droops out of school and gets bad grades, he thinks his time is better suited for watching over people and this quote encompasses his whole theory “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” (Salinger 173) While although he is suffering from inner hate towards himself and rebellion towards others, he still has a soft spot to helping the people closest to him so they won't make the same bad decisions he does or end up like his dear brother. Even though Holden may not seem perfect from the outside, on the inside he is urning to save people and get the help he needs in order to do that. People often times dont see the good in teenagers and just assume its a faze when really it's a deeper meaning and that's what Salinger wanted to show to the world in a first person narrative.

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