In the book The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield became a model of the rebellious and confused adolescent who detected the “phoniness” of the adult world. This showed that he had a serious psychological problem. From the start to the end, Holden has no sense of direction or resolution in deciding what to do with his life. Though the characterization of Holden's remains static and irresolute through the book, Salinger's writing leaves ample room to delve deep into Holden's psychology in order to pose a much more critical question, why does Holden behave in this manner? B. Rationale
The researchers chose to do the study through character analysis to learn how to analyze characters in a story. They will study about the relationship of the protagonist and antagonist with his/her surroundings and with all the people they encounter. The researchers will also explore the psychological accusations of the behavior of the characters and its effects to psychological well-being. Then, they will examine the behavior and reactions of the characters towards each other. Moreover, the researchers will mostly focus on the characters development throughout the story. After reading the novel, the researchers will create an analysis of the character’s issues of identity and belonging with the help of Psychological approach. After doing all those procedures, they would be able to achieve their accomplished outcome or conclusion. C. Historical Background The book was published after J.D. Salinger returned home to the United States from his time in Europe during World War II. Many parallels exist between Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye, and J. D. Salinger: both grew up in upper class New York, both flunked out of prep schools, and so on. It’s no surprise, then, that Salinger’s experience in World War II should cast a shadow over Holden’s opinions and experiences in The Catcher in the