Doubt, Rebellion, And Initiation

The Catcher in the Rye is the only novel of the contemporary writer J. D. Salinger, who, immediately after its first publication in 1951, established his fame as one of the most important post-war writers in American literature history. Like Huckelberry Finn, Holden Caulfield is a classic figure in the American literature gallery, and his acute adolescent feeling and experience became synonymous with the sensitivity of many American youth. The post-war period witnessed the great changes taking place in the United States. The economic growth and prosperity could not conceal the spiritual emptiness of Americans. And the lack of sincerity and trust among people, which hung over American society in the later 1940s and early1950s, led to the political and ideological hypocrisy, falsehood and uneasiness. Through the eyes of the young protagonist Holden Caulfield, the writer sensitively observed this aspect of the American society. Thus in the novel, we could clearly identify two worlds: the 'phony' adult world and the beautiful child world. And the protagonist is standing at the fork of the two worlds. On the one hand, he cherishes the innocent world of the children; on the other hand, he is inevitably entering the decadent world of the adult that he detests very much. The dilemma, however, pushes him to take consciously the attitude of rebellion so that he could maintain the innocence of the children while initiating into the adulthood. This essay will mainly examine and analyze the experience of the protagonist from an adolescent to an adult. In particular, it focuses on discussing his doubt of, rebellion against and final inevitable initiation into the adult world. The three stages of his growth, along with his attempt to protect the innocence of the young children as well as his pursuit of love, truth, life and experience, present vividly the commonplace way to maturity of the youth. The ideas conveyed in the novel, and the qualities of Holden Caulfield, especially his rebellious essence, which displays the deep uneasiness of the post-war generation, have exerted great influence on the following "Beats" literature.