Holden's Spiritual Growth In The Catcher In The Rye

The Catcher in the Rye is one of the most typical initiation novels in the twentieth-century American literature. It was written by J. D. Salinger and published in 1951. The novel is quite popular among readers, especially young Americans. The protagonist of the novel, the disturbed Holden Caulfield, also became a legendary figure, and his acute adolescent awareness became synonymous with the sensitivity of a great many young Americans.In this novel Salinger describes the protagonist Holden who is unwilling to swim with the tide. He is a staunch quester of the childish innocence and an escapee from modern civilization, an obscene society, but he finally realizes that the innocent childhood is short and transient. In the end he accepts the reality and reconciles himself with the society. Salinger grasps the whole generation's spiritual characteristics, reflects their confusion about the adult world, and reveals their pangs of hunger for love, yet without direction. He successfully describes the teenagers'psychology and their inner world of post-World War Two——the dilemma of growth, the lonely and arduous journey from innocence to experience. The thesis mainly adopts Freud's id (instinctual needs and desires, dominated by pleasure principle;), ego(conscious and rational mind, by reality principle;), superego(sense of conscience and morality, by morality principle;) to discuss and analyze Holden's experience from an adolescent to an adult and the spiritual growth by illustrating the perplexity and frustration in his growing process, and his final resolution to initiate into the society.The thesis is divided into five parts, including the introduction and the conclusion.The introduction elicits the major idea of the thesis by making a brief statement of the novel's main idea, the background, and the history of criticism.Chapter one mainly analyzes the post-World War Two young men's spiritual crisis characterized by Holden. The first part discusses the innocence consciousness against the evasive spiritual crisis and its reasons. The second part analyzes the protagonist Holden's pangs in his growing process and his own spiritual crisis. He is in a psychological dilemma and conflict, undergoing an adolescent's crisis and suffering from the growth pain. He mourns for the loss of the cherished innocence, simplicity, and purity of childhood. Meanwhile, he is caught in the conflict between the coming adult world and dreaming childish world. Holden's pains come from his ego's failure in dealing with the conflicts between the id and the superego.Chapter two centers on Holden's hunger and pursuit of innocence. In a society where human relationships are infected by market values of competitiveness and everything is measured in terms of social status and money. Holden's intention to seek the simple happiness in childhood. His id is unconsciously asking to be satisfied, seeking for the pleasure principle. The first part discusses Holden's trying to protect and save children's purity and childish heart. He reposes his hope in the pure children world. He wishes to be a catcher, avoiding children's falling off. The second part presents Holden's rebellion against the adult world. Holden has keen contradictions with post-war phony American social life. He attempts to resist the hypocritical adult world in order to protect childish innocence. The third part makes an analysis of Holden's yearning for nature. Finding no sanctuary or ideal life and imagining scenes in nature, he desires to go to the west. However, he cannot escape reality. Experiencing negation and resistance, he comes to realize the necessity to reconcile with the society. During the pursuit of freedom, his id meets pressure from his ego and superego, and his ego is trying to mediate the tension between the id and the superego.Chapter three makes an analysis of Holden's resolution into society, acceptance of growth, and coming into maturity. All of these have realistic enlightenment on the adolescents. The first part expounds that his sister Phoebe's genuine love and affection awaken his spirit, encourage his love for life. He could not break away from society, for the true love pursued by him is here. At last, Holden grows spiritually and comes to terms with the world. A harmonious balance is achieved between the id and the ego. Under the morality principle, the ego successfully regulates the activity of the id. The second part centers on the Holden's pervasive meaning of growth, and its enlightenment for the adolescents nowadays. Adolescents should be encouraged to confront the unavoidable growing vexation. Escape cannot solve the growing predicament. Meanwhile, we call for the care and love from family, society, and school. Through great and positive efforts, adolescents can be led out of growing predicament and live soundly and happily. The journey from naivety to maturity, from innocence to experience is everyone's indispensable route. Through the presentation of Holden's growing process, adolescents'pervasive spiritual confusion is reflected incisively and vividly. Just like Holden, many adolescents are confronting the matters of being mature and adaptable to the society. This can also be regarded as a common problem of adolescents. Holden's spiritual journey guides us to face all the difficulties and challenges with firm faith.