The Psychology in Salinger's Catcher in the Rye

Known as the book that once shocked the public, JD Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye epitomizes the turbulence and disillusionment of adolescence through the story of a teenager who embarks on a long psychological journey, only to find himself hopelessly sandwiched between childhood and adulthood because of his irresolute nature.

Unlike other coming-of-age novels in which the protagonist starts out childish and wide-eyed at the journey's beginning and then become mature in the end,the novel The Catcher in the Rye does not focus on plot line as much as character introspection. In fact, from the start to the end, Holden has no sense of direction or resolution in deciding what to do with his life (when Phoebe confronts him with this question, he fails to give her a satisfying answer). Though the characterization of Holden's remains static and irresolute through the book, Salinger's writing leaves ample room to delve deep into Holden's psychology in order to pose a much more critical question, why does Holden behave in this manner?

Many speculation has been suggested for Holden's erratic behavior-from the fear of losing innocence to his disappointment and contempt of the adult world-albeit these explanations are thematically significant, they merely brush the surface of Salinger's intention. Through the writing it is revealed that what Holden should represent is an adolescent who is undergoing an identity diffusion (a psychological developmental stage in which the young person feels a lack of a solid identity and goes on a search for it), as shown in his tendency to form impressions and be impressed quickly. Surrounded by belligerent and promiscuous peers at Pencey, Holden indeed feel pressure to behave as they do when he's loose on the streets of New York.

Soon after, Holden realizes that this lifestyle depresses him (as everything else in the world) and desires stability (in his visit to the museum, he wishes that life would be like a museum). Yet, as an irresolute person at heart, Holden experiences the frustration of not having a stable identity to depend on and plunges down the spiral due to the lack thereof. Salinger's writing reveals that Holden's foible, or character flaw, maybe his nihilistic nature, or his unhealthy environment at school, or whatever else thrust upon him. However, his constant struggle is what makes JD Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye a classic and widely-read novel. It's no longer the simple matter of the loss of innocence of disillusionment of the grown up world; Holden's problem is much more universal-the lack of a stable identity-which helps the novel communicates more effectively with both the young and adult audiences.