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The Catcher In The Rye Do You Agree The Catcher In The Rye Do You Agree With Holden's Criticisms Of Society Why Or Why Not Holden's criticisms of society center around the fact that he finds society dirty, corrupt and extremely phony. He views society as a fake surrounding for us all, wants desperately to protect the innocent from the damaging effects of society, and strives to isolate himself from it. I agree with his disapproval of society, though perhaps do not feel as strongly about certain aspects of his thoughts such as escapism. I feel this way not only because I share his views and think they are right, but because the points and examples Holden raises in the novel are easy for me as a person to empathize with. His critical and at times contemptuous commentary on the people he meets and how phony they are, is very easy for me to relate to with the people in my own life, his ideas of wanting to protect the young children from harm and the destruction of their innocence is another idea which I myself think about, and I can understand his need to isolate himself and thus avoid society's deceptive company. Often in the novel, Holden comments on how unreal and artificial a certain person (or people) is.
For example, Stradlater, Holden's roommate at Peace, is a secret slob who always looks all right and gives one the impression he is really fixed-up, but is actually quite sloppy in his personal habits. Stradlater's outer appearance and vanity reflect his phoniness, because underneath he is as untidy and unorganized as the rest of us. Holden then goes on to talk about how Stradlater thinks hes a real hot-shot because of his looks. Just because theyre crazy about themself, they think youre crazy about them, too, he says, Its sort of funny, in a way. I can see how Holden finds this amusing. There are many Stradlater's in our society, those who think themselves the greatest, and show little concern for the others around them.
People like this come across as being proud and haughty, and I myself find it entertaining to watch these individuals prance about thinking how wonderful they are when really they are not as spectacular as they make themselves out to be. A main theme in the novel which can be seen as the backbone of the story, is Holden's idea of becoming The Catcher in the Rye. He describes this occupation as one who waits in the rye where thousands of little kids are playing, and catches them before they can run off the cliff. I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff I mean if theyre running and they dont look where theyre going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. This symbolizes Holden's fantasy of being the catcher in the rye, preventing the children from falling off the cliff, falling into adulthood. I think that Holden sees purity and innocence in little children, and then he looks at the adults and how society has made them turn out, and thinks that one is better off staying a child.
I often have similar thoughts to this. A child is so wholly uncorrupted, so pure compared to the automatons society molds them into as they grow older. If we are able to retain the simplicity of our childhood, we are accomplishing a great feat. Holden wants to protect the children from society and its corruptive properties.
Sometimes I look at young children and think of how they will be like when they are older. It is hard to look at the face of a child and imagine what sort of superficial personas they will become. Yet, the harsh reality is there, that all of us must grow up someday and in doing so, we will be affected by society, and we will change, for better or for worse. Either way, some of our former innocence and naivet will be lost, and it is this loss which Holden is trying to prevent. Although Holden comes across as a lonely character, constantly seeking companionship and conversation, once he finds company, he pushes it away because of the phoniness he finds attached to it. Holden is naturally isolated from the general society because of his mentality it seems as though no one is able to view the world the same way he does.
He also ostracizes himself because he wants to be protected from the bad influence of phonies. Holden does not fit into the lines of society, and therefore feels the need to escape. This idea of escapism is reflected in his idea of living in a little cabin away from society, pretending to be a deaf-mute further isolation from the outside world. Although I would not go as far as to want Holden's ultimate dream of a retreat, I do agree that at times one must seek solitude away from the general masses. Sometimes society does get to me, and everything around me seems so unreal, and the people who talk to me have plastered smiles and trite conversational topics, and the world becomes quite predictable and tedious. It is at times like these when I feel the need for some privacy, to keep myself in my own corner and just be alone.
However, I do not think I will go to Holden's extreme of intentionally isolating myself from society just to avoid the phonies it has. Sometimes, I find that society does provide some entertainment, if nothing else. The examples Holden brings up to do with his views on society can be seen as radical or a bit extreme. However, I am able to share his opinions because in some ways, my line of thinking corresponds to that of Holden's. This is one of the main reasons why I enjoyed reading the book so much, because of similarities I drew between Holden's ideology and my own. On Holden's criticism of society, I found many interesting ideas that were brought up in the novel which I felt that I agreed with.
The main reason why I agree with Holden's views of the world in general is because I have the same cynical mentality.
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