Posted on January 31, 2019
Alienation in the book
Over the past 2 weeks, I have been following Holden Caulfield on his journey from Pencey Prep to New York and the things he does. I am about halfway through The Catcher in the Rye by J.d Salinger, and thus far I have found that alienation and just not fitting into the “normal” crowd has been a recurring topic in the book. I found this topic to be one of interest as it is something that everyone experiences in their life Nobody really fits into the group that is deemed to be the “social norm” , and the things that make us deviate from this norm are the things that make us unique. However, we do not always feel this way, and sometimes our differences can make us feel excluded in a way. “..practically the whole school except me was there..”. This quote goes to show us how Caulfield does not really fit into the student body, as he does not go to the rivalry football game that everyone attends. It really embodies how Holden did not fit in at Pencey.
A disagreement that I would have with the text would be that Holden is extremely unreliable in how he views things. The fact that he is in a mental institution or at least under special care is never explicitly stated. Although it is written that way because it is from the perspective of a 16 year old and is supposed to be unreliable, but I feel that it is written to the point where some crucial points might be missed by readers who do not fully pay attention to the text. Some aspects of the story have the potential to go right over the readers head, and if the reader does not pick up all these details the story becomes one that is extremely bland. I would rather have Salinger spell out some of these details explicitly out to the reader as to lead them to detect the hidden meaning behind some aspects of the story, so that it can be fully appreciated. However, at the same time I can understand why Salinger chose to write the story this way, and it really helps to make the story feel as authentic a possible.
Hello again Mr. Boseph. I am also reading Catcher in The Rye! The theme of alienation was one of the reoccurring themes that I also noticed when reading the book and I think that would make a wonderful literary analysis topic due to Holden’s continued disgust with social norms and “phonies.” I like how you explained that while not following a social norm makes one unique, it can also isolate somebody and make them feel alone. I can see this in Holden because throughout the book, he can’t think of friends to call or meet up with since he’s basically removed himself from most social activities and is a harsh judge of those around him. In my last post, I also mention how Holden is an unreliable narrator. I think his dialect and underlying messages throughout the text make it hard for the reader to understand Holden and the “big picture” of the book. I love your choice of a literary analysis device and I can’t wait for more posts and to discover the mystery of Holden together! Happy reading!
Thank you for sharing, Joe! Why do you think Salinger makes Holden so unreliable? Yes, most of his views contradict – but there’s a reason for that. What is Salinger’s message here?
Hello Banks! I have been reading Catcher in the Rye and totally agree with you in this aspect. The fact that Holden is indeed alienating himself from society and others is indeed a major focus within the book. I believe he does this to eliminate any personal connection with others and might possibly reflect the author. However, this is a theory and might be incorrect so take this with a grain of salt. Happy reading!