Holden's Struggles in Catcher in the Rye

Lights, Camera, CUT!

“Testing 1, 2. Testing..” Holden Caulfield, the average teenage boy from The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, who is currently on “stage”, testing and experimenting with his life. He was recently expelled from the boarding school, Pencey, and is now roaming New York City, encountering several experiences that tests his place on the road to adulthood. The “stages” that Holden undergoes are thoroughly explained by the article, The Normal Psychological Development of the American Adolescent, by Lewis L. Judd. These “stages” are developed through studies and research of teenagers with the analyzation of their actions. Through the connection of the novel and article, Holden reveals his difficulties to work with peers, which contributes to his inability to develop a stable identity and demonstrate self-determination.

Holden first associates with the concept of being unable to function satisfactorily with peers. Characteristics of this stage include the following stated, “ The influence of the peer group is very strong. Most adolescents conform assiduously, as non-conformists are aggressively sought out for rejection and ridicule by the group....Thus the ability to function adequately and appropriately within it to gain the necessary social rewards is vital”(Judd, 469). He is first seen as an ignorant student before he was expelled from Pencey. He furthermore develops a marginal relationship with the students at Pencey. It’s demonstrated when Holden was chatting with Stradlater, his roommate, in the bathroom about Stradlater’s ex-girlfriend, Fitzgerald. After Stradlater insults her, Holden confronts Stradlater in a rather unusual way. “ That’s a wrestling hold, in case you don’t know, where you get the other guy around the neck and choke him to death, if you feel like it. So I did it. I landed on him like a goddamn panther” (Salinger, 30). Holden attacks Stradlater, portraying his struggle to communicate normally with his classmates. It shows his violent nature towards people and does not attempt to settle the situation with words. Holden’s way of communication with others is weakening his ability to discover the beginning of adulthood. Especially since Judd states the importance of communication is the key to social connections with the society and life, that Holden is lacking to do so due to his violent form of communication with peers.

Besides the lack of communication with peers, he also struggles to develop a suitable and sustainable identity. In this stage, expressed in the article, “It includes the following: What his capabilities and weakness are, ideas about his relationship to society (that is, what he can expect from it and what it can expect from him), ideas about his sexual role and the formulation of a life plan”(Judd,467). Holden is constantly facing difficulties in finding the right identity for himself, particularly evidenced when he visits Phoebe, his younger sister, to chat and discuss all the major events after the expulsion at Pencey. Phoebe then asks Holden what he plans to become when he gets older. Holden thinks and answers, “‘ That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be. I know it’s crazy’” (Salinger, 173). Holden attempts to give a sufficient reply to Phoebe’s question but ends up creating a completely unrealistic job. It shows that Holden is facing difficulties to formulate his future considering as he is experimenting with his career through a fantasy world. Although Holden acknowledges the fact that this occupation is impossible, but it also signifies his needs to find his place in the this world that best suits him for who he is.

In contribution of the inability to work with peers, Holden also demonstrates difficulties in developing self-determination and self-motivation. In the article, Judd refers to, “With the onset of adolescence young people begin to show increasing resistance and reluctance to act when adults try to direct and oversee their behavior. Adolescents resent not being alone to make, organize and implement personal decisions”(Judd, 468). Holden has trouble in motivating himself to do what’s right. It is shown when he visits Phoebe at her school to return her Christmas money. As Holden is walking down the stairs at her school, he sees the “F” word written on the wall. “I hardly even had the guts to rub it off the wall with my hand, if you want to know the truth. I was afraid some teacher would catch me rubbing it off and would think I’d written it” (Salinger, 201). It shows that Holden attempts to erase the “F” word but is scared that a teacher might misinterpret his good deed. It also indicates Holden’s coward behavior, since he has to take his time to determine whether or not he should do it, when he knows that it is the right thing to do during this type of situation. Hinting Holden’s weak motivation in the future when harsher situations are come upon.

The factors to Holden’s struggle are primarily being unable to cooperate with other peers which damages his motivation in life to find his existence in this society. He needs to be able to stop attaching himself to the past and start moving forward by applying himself to school, finding enjoyable hobbies, and developing healthier conversations with his peers. These changes will benefit Holden after the tough situations he had to come across such as the fight with Stradlater, Phoebe’s questioning, and the discouraging word on the wall. Holden just has an uncommon way of thinking and shouldn’t be judged based on his actions. His struggles can allow others to know that they are not the only one out there struggling with adolescence. Every individual may have a reason behind their actions, and can be assisted by going through the process of adolescence step by step.

Works Cited

Judd, Lewis L..The Normal Psychological Development Of the American Adolescent.

Trans. Array The Normal Psychological Development of the American

Adolescent. Los Angeles: Department of Psychiatry, Division of Child Psychiatry,

University of California, School of Medicine, 1967. Print.

Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston, Massachusetts: Little, Brown and

Company, Inc., 1945. Print.

Cited: Judd, Lewis L..The Normal Psychological Development Of the American Adolescent. Trans. Array The Normal Psychological Development of the American Adolescent. Los Angeles: Department of Psychiatry, Division of Child Psychiatry, University of California, School of Medicine, 1967. Print. Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston, Massachusetts: Little, Brown and Company, Inc., 1945. Print.