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In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, written by J. D. Salinger, Holden, the main character wants to be a catcher. Holden hears a young boy on the street singing If a body catch a body coming through the rye and it made Holden feel better (115). He wants to be the only big person around in a rye field, near a cliff, to catch all the kids playing from running off the cliff. It is obvious from this statement that Holden wants to help children, but how can Holden when he cannot even take care of himself?
A competent catcher would be somewhat like a counselor or social worker in the sense that they would help children from following a destructive path. A counselor or catcher must be honest, mature, responsible, motivated, and caring. Although Holden is caring, which is a quality that makes a good catcher, he still lacks many of the other necessary qualities to be a competent catcher in the rye. One quality that Holden lacks to be a competent catcher is honesty and Holden even says, Im the most terrific liar you ever say in your life (16). He lies quite often, even when it comes to simple things like going to the store to buy a magazine, but instead says he is going to the opera. To leave an annoying conversation faster, he lies to Mr.
Spencer, one of his teachers, and tells him he has to leave for the gym to get the fencing equipment, when in fact Holden left the equipment on the subway (15). Holden also lies when he is on the train and tells Mrs. Marrow nothing but falsehoods about her son, who attends Pencey with Holden, by stating that he adapts himself very well to things (55). It would not be right for Holden to be a dishonest catcher. It is important to teach a child to tell the truth, so how could he be a competent catcher when he constantly lies? Another quality that Holden lacks to be a competent catcher is maturity.
He even justifies his immaturity by stating that he is just going through a phase. A mature person would be able to handle difficult, tough situations reasonably and Holden cannot. Unable to control himself, Holden reacts on impulse to hit Stradlater because Holden thinks he is sleeping with Jane Gallagher. He may look mature with his premature gray hair and tall physique, but he still has to mature tremendously before he could ever become a catcher. Since Holden is as immature as a child, he would not be able to help children with their problems and might instead make them worse. Along with being immature, Holden is also irresponsible.
A competent catcher needs to be responsible enough to watch over and take care of the children in the rye. How can Holden watch over children running around, when he cannot even take the blame for losing the fencing equipment on the subway? Holden also drinks a lot which is irresponsible, and while he is drunk he visits his sister Phoebe during the night and takes the chance of waking his parents up. Since Holden is so irresponsible, it would be difficult for him to be a competent catcher to take care of the children in the rye. Holden would not be able to take care of the children in the rye because he has no motivation. Holden is not motivated because motivation is a process involved in changing situations and life events and Holden hates change.
He states, Certain things should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone (122). This statement proves that he has no motivation and just wants time to stand still. The novel also demonstrates that Holden is not motivated by showing us that he was expelled from Pencey Prep, a school he attended in Agers town, Pennsylvania on the account of failing everything but his composition class.
With no sense of purpose and direction, Holden goes from boarding school to boarding school. Beneath Holden's unmotivated side, Holden is an intelligent writer who just does not apply himself. The only thing he thinks about applying himself towards and is motivated to do is catch children in a rye field from falling off a cliff. He has a long conversation with his sister Phone and states that he keeps picturing all these little kids playing some game in a big field of rye and allI have to catch everybody as they start to go over the cliff I just want to be the catcher in the rye and all and I know its crazy (173).
Since Holden wants to catch the children, it is obvious that he is caring. Even though he talks about most of the characters in the book as being phony, he still feels sorry for them, which is a sign that deep inside he does care. While in the park, Holden is caring enough to tighten a little girls skates up. He also cares tremendously about his sister Phoebe and this is evident because he talks a great amount about her by stating that she is a perfect speller, neat dresser, is very imaginative, and creative.
Holden also shows that he is caring when he gives money to the nuns he saw at breakfast and then feels horrible for accidentally blowing smoke in their face (113). If he was not caring, why would he care if he blew smoke in their face? If he were not caring, why would he feel the need to give them money? It is obvious that Holden is caring, but still lacks many of the qualities to be a competent catcher.
He is immature like many children and maybe that is why he wants to be a catcher, because he so easily relates to them. He would be able to be the biggest person and not have to deal with authority. Or, maybe Holden knows that he is on the path for destruction and sees himself going off the cliff, which is an abrupt ending, possibly like a suicide. It is possible that if he views being the catcher in the rye this way that he wants to help the children not make the same mistakes he did, so he want to catch them before they go too far.
Whatever the reason may be for him wanting to be a catcher in the rye, we do know one thing: that he still has a lot of growing as a person to do before he can be a competent catcher in the rye. Work Cited Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1945.
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Research essay sample on Character Analysis Of Holden In Catcher The Rye
