The Rich In J. D. Salinger's The Catcher In The Rye

Wealth is often overlooked by those who possess a great deal of it but desired by those who can only dream to live the life of luxury. Either way, the fortunate and the unfortunate may despise their financial statuses. Novels such as J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye capture the rich through the eyes of the rich. Holden Caulfield is a well-off adolescent disgusted by the materialistic mannerisms of society. Other novels, including Cutis Sittenfeld’s Prep, describe the rich through the endeavors of the middle class. Lee Fiora is scholarship student struggling to establish her place among the elite of Ault School. In their response to Prep, The Washington Post said, “Holden Caulfield would love this heroine: her dry wit and sharp social observations sting and zing delightfully.” However, this declaration is largely inaccurate. He would not appreciate her character, much less “love” her. On the contrary, Holden would find Lee and her obsession with wealth to be extremely distasteful. For instance,
She mentions additional clues she has noticed that show if a student is on a scholarship. “‘I have a flowered bedspread.’ I had asked for it for my birthday freshman year. As for the silver picture frames, as for everything else – Martha was my beard,” she responds to Varizi’s questions (362). The bedspread is mentioned once more. She puts a great deal of effort into concealing her lack of money. Lee is essentially Dick Slagle from The Catcher in the Rye whom Holden is shown to ridicule. She used Martha’s possessions to make herself seem richer than she was the same way Slagle used Holden’s. Their situations are markedly similar. If Holden was said to be depressed by Slagle’s behavior, then he would definitely be depressed by Lee’s. Her desire to appear considerably wealthy and her embarrassment would be ridiculous to