Catcher in the Rye Reaction

            Although Holden Caulfield and his tendency to pathologically lie allows J. D. Salinger to explore instances in which teenagers respond to conformity, Holden’s tendency to lie also helps explore 1950’s society and even adults’ response to conformity. Holden struggles not only to define himself better during the course of The Catcher in the Rye, but he also struggles to define adulthood and the responsibilities that accompany it. Furthermore, Holden’s tendency to lie makes his observations and definitions of adulthood and society amorphous since Salinger constructs Holden as an outright unreliable narrator. For instance, Holden knows he is a pathological liar, and he tells the reader that he lies after lying about Mrs. Morrow’s son to her for awhile when he explains, “Then I started reading the timetable I had in my pocket. Just to stop lying. Once I get started, I can go on for hours if I feel like it. No kidding. Hours” (Salinger 58). In this instance of Holden lying, Salinger not only constructs Holden as an unreliable narrator that lies to create conflict and test adults, but Holden’s observation that he can choose to lie without looking to the consequences of lying demonstrates that he refuses to conform. Furthermore, Holden’s tendency to lie also constructs him as an unreliable citizen. Since people in a society depend on the honesty of everyone else in order to live out normal days without complications (for instance, I must assume that teachers are conveying some level of truth to me during school just as I assume that my neighborhood Publix is not lying about the price of milk), Holden is complicating social interactions and preying on individual’s trust. Salinger’s use of lying to demonstrate society’s tendency to trust people expands on post-WWII social thought that reflects the destruction of individuals' faith in society that Hitler and his concentration camps caused.

            Salinger’s portrayal of Holden as a frequent liar also establishes connections between Holden as a character and Salinger’s own life as a writer. By constructing Holden as a frequent liar, Salinger creates a way of revolting against the social and writing order, using an unreliable narrator to tell a story studded with experimental and post-modern aspects. After New York’s Morgan Library released 9 letter written by 22 year-old J.D. Salinger, researchers like Jimmy So observed that, “J.D. Salinger founded adolescent angst, so what a relief to learn that he himself was a mimic of Holden Caulfield,” (So). The Catcher in the Rye, therefore, might directly represent ways in which Salinger revolted against the social order and continues to revolt through writing in an experimental manner. Moreover, Salinger puts Holden in many familiar situations for modern teenagers. After Holden is unable to order Scotch because of the waiter’s distrust of his age, Holden observes that, “I didn’t hold it against him though. They lose their jobs if they get caught selling to a minor. I’m a goddam minor” (Salinger 70). Holden’s exchange with the waiter demonstrates that not only is lying a weak strategy to achieve goals, but that people, especially teenagers, who lie often end up lying during situations in which they cannot get out of without hurting themselves or others. Holden’s tendency to lie, therefore, stands as a reminder of the costs of trying too hard to conform in society. Furthermore, Holden’s tendency to lie and shift his goals indicates that Holden is not trying to find his authentic self, but is instead only a simple narrator with little purpose other than to tell his story. Holden recounts at the end of the book that, “D. B. asked me what I thought about all this stuff I just finished telling you about. I didn’t know what the hell to say. If you want to know the truth, I don’t know what to think about it. I’m sorry I told so many people about it” (Salinger 213-4). Not only does Holden not succeed in finding his self or learning from his story, but Holden’s lack of purpose also hints that the book was written more for Salinger’s personal help. Therefore, by defining ways in which teenagers attempt to conform, Salinger tries to understand his past in addition to helping others understand their own teenage difficulties.

Works Cited

Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1991.

So, Jimmy. “Was Salinger a Phony?” Newsweek 26 April, 2013. Print.