Holden Caulfield Existentialism

A Futile World; Existentialism and The Catcher in the Rye The United States has adopted and developed thousands of ways of thinking in its short amount of time as a country. Amongst this numerous ideologies is existentialism, a paradigm most present in the 1940s through 60s that took its strongest hold around World War II. The war brought a new thought to the people: one could be responsible for his or her own experience in life. With this thought people began exploring the idea of existence preceding essence. Life became a product of each individual’s decisions and philosophies, and social values and structures were frowned upon. Many of these ideas can be see in J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, as 16 year-old Holden Caulfield takes readers along on his three-day adventure through the city, sharing his every experience as he goes. Existentialist elements are prevalent in the societal outlook of the novel through the portrayal of a superficial society and Holden's desire to escape the influence of civilization in an attempt to preserve his youth and avoid the responsibilities and rules that come with adulthood. The novel is marked by the constant berating of society through the eyes of Holden, who has no trouble admonishing the many flaws of civilization. In …show more content…
The ideas of free-will, personal experience, and existence are constantly altered over time. The post-World War II United States offered a naive optimism for the people to follow. From this optimism, however, they drew infinite insecurity, subjective truth, and no final purpose. As people go through life, they get caught up in the moment, forgetting to keep in mind the great opportunities that may lie ahead, but after all, the world is not as futile as it may