A Freudian Analysis Of The Duality In The Catcher In The Rye

J.D. Salinger is an influential writer in the post-war American literature, who is well known for his brilliance to illustrate the adolescents with spiritual dilemma. The Catcher in the Rye, as the only novel by J. D. Salinger, experiences a long time trial but finally gets his fame as a modern classic.The Catcher in the Rye introduces the struggle of a group of adolescents represented by the protagonist Holden in the adults'world. The coexistence of the childhood and adulthood attributes to the obvious duality in the novel. On the one hand, in the novel Holden is attracted by the innocence and the intimacy in the childhood. He wants to remain them, even if he is old enough to enter the adults'world. On the other hand, the reality in the adulthood is outstanding with the development of Holden's adventure. The phoniness, indifference and corruption are in great contrast to the innocence and sincerity in children's world, which forces Holden to prefer to remain in the children's world and refuse to grow up. In this sense, the coexistence of the childhood and adulthood leads the readers to the protagonist's spiritual dilemma and stresses the clear duality in the novel. As the important theory in psychoanalysis, some of the main Freudian theories may be helpful in the understanding of the spiritual dilemma in The Catcher in the Rye. Freudian theory concerning the coexistence of the pleasure principle and the reality principle, the dualistic instincts of life and death and the libido can help the readers to understand the duality theory in this novel.This thesis intends to analyze the duality in The Catcher in the Rye based on Sigmund Freud's theory concerning human psychology. The whole thesis is divided into three chapters. Chapter I analyzes the duality of the pleasure principle and the reality principle, which is shown in the conflicts of the innocence and corruption, the sincerity and phoniness as well as the intimacy and indifference. The coexistence of adults'world and children's world brings about the spiritual dilemma of the protagonist, which can be analyzed in Freudian theory concerning the pleasure principle and the reality principle. Chapter II analyzes the duality of the life instinct and the death instinct. The truth of life and death is mysterious to the adolescents. Their behaviors are more or less influenced by the life instinct and the death instinct. The characters'action and mental condition show that they are exploring the truth of life and death consciously or unconsciously. Moreover, they are unavoidably influenced by the life instinct and the death instinct. The self-assertion and love that they want are destroyed by sadism and hate time and time again. Chapter III uses the theory on libido and resistance to analyze the adolescents experience from the Oedipus complex to alienation and from sexuality to the establishment of morality. In all, this thesis focuses on the duality in the novel and uses the psychoanalytic theory to analyze the internal struggle in the protagonist. In this sense, the necessity of the spiritual dilemma of the adolescents is shown.