Catcher In The Rye Essay: Holden's Morality

The Catcher in the Rye Essay: Holden’s Morality In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, the reader is introduced to Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the novel. Though Holden makes questionable decisions, he operates on a strong moral structure. This moral structure includes his protectiveness and admiration for his siblings, his ability to protect the feelings of others, even if it means lying to them, and his need to preserve childhood innocence. Holden’s siblings help guide his morals throughout the course of the novel. For example, Holden making the decision to go to New York after being kicked out of Pencey Prep wasn’t a rebellious act, but was his way of protecting his family from having to deal with the disappointment of him being kicked out of …show more content…
For example, when Holden is on the train, he runs into the mother of Ernest Morrow, who was “the biggest bastard that ever went to Pencey.” She then begins telling Holden how sensitive Ernest is, which Holden finds funny because her son “was about as sensitive as a damn toilet seat.” Instead of telling Ernest’s mother that, he tells her that her son “adapts himself very well to things.” Holden then lies to Mrs. Morrow again, saying that Ernest refused to be class president because “he’s too shy and modest,” making Mrs. Morrow feel very proud of her son’s “achievements.” A second example of Holden’s need to protect a person’s feelings is when Sunny the prostitute comes up to his room. In the hotel room, Holden tries to encourage her to talk to him for a while before anything happens. Instead, Sunny states that she’s “got things to do” and they need to hurry up and get it over with. Because Holden is moral, he begins to rethink his decision. Out of respect, Holden pays Sunny five dollars for her time and tells her that he is “still recovering” from an operation, ending their night earlier than