A Study Of "Masculinity" In The Catcher In The Rye

The Catcher in the Rye is the representative work of American writer Jerome David Salinger.With the adoption of the stream of consciousness,Salinger has in this novel revealed the three-day adventure of a school-expelled teenager Holden Caulfield and explored the inner world of him.The novel has led a new trend in American literary creation,touched the inner world of shallow and indifferent Americans in the 1950’s and more importantly made the age the “Salinger’s age”.Since its publication,it has drawn the interest of high school students as well as college students.Parents and teachers take the novel as a must and more importantly,the key to understanding teenagers.However,The Catcher in the Rye has received controversial responses for its depiction of drinking,fight and sex.In the meantime,it has also greatly resonated with teenage readers for its vivid depiction of alienation problems and emotions such as angst and anxiety they may encounter during their growing up.Despite controversies over the novel,it has proved to be one of the most classic novels in the American literary history.Foreign critics have studied this novel from different perspectives including formalism,narrative style and the translation of slang.Domestic critics have focused on the comparison of different translation versions,the growth theme or the alienation theme of the novel.Other critics analyze the novel from various perspectives such as eco-criticism,narratology as well as new historicism.Although there exist a variety of analysis on the novel,few has done detailed examination on the complicated mental state and the psychological crisis Holden Caufield has experienced during the process of masculinity formation.This thesis,based on the theories of R.W.Connell’s masculinities,will intend to explore the complex psychological activities Holden has had under the influence of the “hegemonic masculinity”.On the one hand,Holden tries to imitate the “hegemonic masculinity”.On the other hand,he cannot approve of the norms of it.And his androgynous personalities are presented as he shows his empathy with female characters and his impulse of mothering for the children.Without a competent male figure to guide him during his growth,Holden has experienced feelings of angst and anxiety of being castrated.In the meantime,the thesis aims to draw people’s attention to psychological crisis that teenagers encounter during their masculinity formation.