Salinger
uses Holden in several different ways to show the non-conformity of teenagers.
Holden’s pathological lying and feelings of phoniness (as well as feeling that
others are phony) not only display the non-conformity of teenagers, but also
the insecurities and unsureness that are the roots of the problem both with
Holden as well as teenagers in general.
Holden’s
brother, Allie, died of leukemia at the young age of eleven, when Holden was
only thirteen years old. Experiencing such a loss at such a young age traumatized
Holden, who was unable to handle his grief properly, as we can see when he “broke
all the goddam windows with (his) fist, just for the hell of it” the night of
Allie’s death (Salinger 39). This series of traumatic events leaves Holden
wondering who he is and where, if anywhere, he belongs. Holden always feels out
of place, as he phrases it when speaking with Sally, “I don’t get anything out
of anything” (Salinger 131).
Aside
from Allie’s death, Holden is starved for attention, especially from his
parents. We can see through little side comments, such as the fact that “(Allie’s)
teachers were always writing letters to (his) mother, telling her what a
pleasure it was having a boy like Allie in their class” and all the mentions of
how amazing his brother, D.B. is as an author, that Holden feels like he is the
only child that isn't intelligent or high achieving. People, especially teens,
often fill the shoes they are given, which is exactly what Holden does by
slacking off in school.
However,
Holden is actually an extremely intelligent boy, so he feels phony for not
acting like it. Holden has a hard time tracing his phony feeling back to its
source, though, so he is simply left feeling greatly unsettled. Unable to
understand all of the emotions going on inside of him, Holden projects those emotions
onto those around him, which is a very common practice among teenagers. Going
around calling everyone else a phony takes the pressure off of him so that he doesn't have to deal with his own feelings of phoniness. However, this projection is
self-destructive, because it causes Holden to be very angry at the world and
everyone in it.
In
a reaction to what he perceives as others’ phoniness, as well as in an attempt
to deal with his own emotions, Holden constantly lies and pretends to be
someone he’s not. For example, when on the train, Holden wants to impress the
attractive woman on the train so he lies and says that his name is Rudolf
Schmidt and that he has a brain tumor. After a few moments, Holden realizes
that he shouldn't have made up all those stories, but he explains “once I get
started, I can go on for hours if I feel like it. No kidding. Hours” (Salinger 58).
These
are only a few examples of the many emotions and insecurities that cause
Holden, as well as teenagers in general, to be deviant and non-conforming. Teenage
years are full of pressures of conformity, but Holden struggles even more due
to the death of his brother, not quite sure where to go or who he should be. I
think one of the most powerful re-occurrences in the book is Holden’s obsession
with where the ducks go after winter. His questioning seems to represent how Holden doesn't know where to go after this “winter” of a traumatizing event.
Salinger, J.D. Catcher
in the Rye. New York: Little Brown and Company, 1951. Print.
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