Notice: First of all, I'd like to warn you that I only got 74% on this essay. Because I got such a shameful grade, please don't be too serious about the writing or grammar of this essay.
The Research of
Holden’s Alienation
The
feeling of loneliness or isolation is always a prevalent issue among adolescences.
In the Catcher in the Rye written by
J.D. Salinger, the protagonist Holden Caulfield suffers from severe and
depressing loneliness. It is acknowledged that Holden has had an unstable
mental state ever since the death of his brother Allie. However, it is greatly
debatable that his brother’s death fundamentally prompts him to seclude himself
from others. Holden’s alienation is the result of his own inclination, instead
of other external factors such as Allie’s death. It is believed that Holden
chooses to become isolated because of his lack of perception of affiliation,
his sense of superiority and his way of self-protection.
To
begin with, Holden’s lack of sense of belonging to the world is one of the main
sources of his isolative behavior. It is evident that Holden always feels that
he does not belong to this world throughout the novel. Holden insists that all
the other students have their own little groups that they are constantly
sticking to. This can be perceived several times by the reader when Holden
mentions “…all the athletic bastards [stick] together. In every school I’ve
gone to…” (Salinger 56) and when he complaints to Sally that “...everybody
sticks together in these dirty little goddam cliques…” (Salinger 170). He complaints
about other students. This is a powerful indication of his alienation because
he constantly believes that he does not belong to anywhere. He convinces
himself that he is the only person who lacks companionship while everyone else
has established his or hers relationships within society. His belief is even
more determined when he “[feels] like giving somebody a buzz” but “[can’t]
think of anybody to call up” (Salinger 77). The essential part of this occasion
is that Holden chooses neither to reach out for help from other people nor
shows eagerness of communication with others. He makes the decision to be
separated and alienated from the world.
Moreover,
Holden’s feeling of superiority makes him separate himself from other people.
Cynicism is one of the major part of Holden’s personality. Words such as
“snot”, “phony” and “bastard” make regular appearances throughout the story. Holden
insists that everyone is inferior to him. He claims that “one of the biggest reasons
[he] [leaves] Elkton Hills [is] because [he] [is] surrounded by phonies”
(Salinger 19). When he is in the bar called Ernie`s, he disdainfully remarks
that “[he] [is] surrounded by jerks” (Salinger 111). More cynically, he
declares his bias against girls by saying that “if [girls] like a boy, no
matter how big a bastard he is, they’ll say he has an inferior complex…” (Salinger
176). Holden’s judgmental nature creates an unbreakable barrier between himself
and other people. He cannot establish relationships while being critical with
others. Timothy Aubry suggests that “what Holden does not seem to realize is
that by passing judgment on everything and everyone around him…he is in fact
positing that he is superior to these other people” (Timothy Aubry, “The Catcher in the Rye: The Voice of
Alienation”). Holden not only exhibits his superiority to other people, but
also alienates himself from the outside world.
Last
but not least, as an approach of self-protection, Holden`s isolation is driven
by his own intention. Although Holden craves for companionship in several parts
of the novel, he ultimately cuts off his relationship with others. Holden longs
to call Jane, but later changes his mind by saying that “[he] [is] afraid her mother
[would] answer the phone.” (Salinger 77). This thought reveals Holden’s
disposition which is his reluctance to communicate with other people. He
clearly longs to give Jane a call. It is obvious that Jane’s mother is only an
excuse so that he does not have to get in touch with others. This is Holden’s
personal approach to protect himself from the treacherous outside world.
Besides, he also finalizes his relationship with Sally by using cruel words.
Holden says that Sally “[gives] [him] a royal pain in the ass” (Salinger 173), which
extremely irritates Sally. He destroys his supposedly normal and peaceful date
with Sally with his bitter and harmful words. Dreadful criticism builds a wall,
which Holden uses to protect himself from the society. Holden suffers from the
confrontation that he has between the eagerness for companionship and the
eagerness for solitude. He finally decides to be alone because only in this way
he does not have to deal with “phony” people from the outside world. Holden is
determined to be alienated even it means unbearable loneliness and solitude.
In
order to protect himself, to prove his superiority among others, to not to possess
belonging to the world, Holden becomes incrementally isolated. He chooses to be
separated even he feels depressed which has a great possibility to make him
suffocate. It is highly possible that the dilemma Holden faces is derived from
his puberty. Nowadays, as an universal symptom of puberty, solitude of
adolescences raises a great deal of public awareness due to its negative
influences on a massive proportion of teenagers. Solitude can leads to numerous
undesirable consequences considering some teenagers’ fragile mental states. It
is comforting to see that Holden finally realizes his mistakes and gradually
changes his faulty attitudes. Teenagers like Holden should no longer conceal
their true feelings, but should try to open their minds to accept other people’s
help. They should be fully aware of the fact that alienation is not helpful to
their situation. Becoming open minded and choosing to believe others are the
ultimate solutions.
