Holden's Role In Catcher In The Rye

It is not always actions that speak louder than words. As a young man transitioning into adulthood, one may be greatly influenced by society in their choices and actions. In Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is a young man learning to express his own beliefs, but lacks the confidence in himself to do so. Throughout interactions with others it is made overt that though one may have their beliefs and values, without the confidence to express them, one may be left feeling oppressed and forced to go along with society. One’s inner thoughts can be portrayed though minor characters in a novel to enhance the reader’s knowledge of a main character’s inner thoughts and feelings.
The way in which women are characterized in the novel …show more content…
Phoebe is Holden’s ten year old sister, who is very mature for her age. Her purpose in the novel is to symbolize Holden’s unyielding grasp on his childhood in a time in his life in which he needs to learn to let go and become a man. As Holden watches Phoebe on the merry go round, he says, “I felt so damn happy all of a sudden, the way old Phoebe kept going around and around. It was just that she looked so damn nice, the way she kept going around and around, in her blue coat and all.” (Salinger 233). Phoebe brings out the more mature values that Holden is accumulating. She also proves that Holden values the happiness of his sister and genuinely cares for her. Holden takes on a role similar to that of a father figure for Phoebe. On the contrary, Holden’s older brother D.B. is not innocent and childlike, a foil of his younger sister and the opposite image of the man that Holden aspires to be.If there is one thing Holden hates most, it is phonies. Holden believes that D.B. is a phony, because D.B. writes in Hollywood. Holden describes, “He’s in Hollywood… He just got a jaguar… He’s got a lot of dough, now. He didn’t used to. He used to be just a regular writer… Now he’s out in Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute” (Salinger 4). Holden does not support D.B. in Hollywood which is evident when he compares his brothers work to that of a prostitute. Last, Holden’s third sibling Allie is Holden’s brother, who he was …show more content…
Holden changes schools often, which causes him to meet a lot of people and have many different experiences. Robert Ackley, who goes by Ackley, is one of the kids who lives next to Holden’s room. He describes Ackley as a “very,very tall, round- shouldered guy- he was about six four- with lousy teeth. The whole time he roomed next to me, I never even once saw him brush his teeth. They always looked mossy and awful, and he damn near made you sick if you saw him in the dining room with his mouthful of mashed potatoes and peas or something. Besides that , he had a lot of pimples. And not only that he had a terrible personality” ( Salinger 23). Holden describes Ackley as being disgusting in many ways. Holden’s roommate Stradlater is the opposite of Ackley. Although Ackley looks disgusting, Stradlater doesn 't, but is disgusting. Holden says, “ You remember I said before that Ackley was a slob in his personal habits? Well, so was Stradlater, but in a different way. Stradlater was more of a secret slob. He always looked all right, Stradlater, but for instance you should’ve seen the razor he shaved himself with. It was always rusty as hell and full of lather and hairs and crap. He never cleaned it or anything. He always looked good when he was finished fixing himself up, but he was a secret slob anyway, if you knew him the way I did,” (Salinger 31). Holden describes Stradlater as a