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Rebellion in Catcher in the Rye
Holden Caulfield, the protagonist in The Catcher in the Rye, longs to be “the catcher in the rye,” to protect the children from his community’s evilness. In this regard, he sees the other people as phonies due to their shallowness and hypocrisy. Therefore, Holden dissociates himself from society by rebelling from society’s shallowness and tries to be better (Salinger 1). The author proves Holden is rebellious by showing his life experiences such as his interaction with the English teacher whom he considers phony. Additionally, Holden frequently uses the word “phony” to criticize the actions of the people, their motives, and their lifestyle. Besides, he also considers his old headmaster at Elkton Hills as a phony because he used to give a phony smile to parents who looked funny and talk for a long time to the parents he liked. The author precisely shows the theme of rebellion through Holden’s resistance and society’s hypocrisy.
Holden shows rebellion to the things he considers phony within society. While at Pency high school, Holden does not take his studies seriously for he believes the school lies to the public through their adverts. However, his mediocre performance makes him get axed out of the school. Besides, Holden also rebels to Mr. Spencer’s advice regarding his future. Instead, he pretends to be in a hurry to leave for the gym while in reality avoiding Mr. Spencer’s tasks. After leaving Mr. Spencer’s house, Holden proclaims himself the most terrific liar since he had lied his way out of Mr. Spencer’s grasp. Holden calls the majority of the people who try to correct him phony.
Furthermore, Holden’s rebellious nature is evident in his interactions with the other students in the school. He often engages in illegal activities, at the wrong time and place. For instance, Holden and his friend play football outside the academic block of the school until darkness creeps in. Although it is dinner time, they do not stop playing until a teacher tells them to leave. Additionally, they are playing outside the lecture rooms rather than at the field. The acts of defiance to the school rules of time management and playing in the playground show Holden’s rebellious nature. Besides, he leaves the fencing gear in the subway after the failed fencing meet with McBurney School in New York.
Moreover, Holden depicts his rebellion through his failure to return home after being expelled from Pencey. Holden wanders from city to city drinking and indulging in other activities such as smoking considering his age. Besides, Holden does not tell his parents about the expulsion from Pencey. Instead, he sneaks into their family apartment by signing in using her sister’s name pretending to be visiting another family. When he realizes he cannot face his parents, Holden escapes from the house. Holden does not seem to be interested in school anymore, which is rebellious since learning is necessary.
In summary, Salinger mainly explores the theme of rebellion through Holden’s character in the novel. Holden pretends to be leaving for the gym to avoid Mr. Spencer’s implied phoniness. Besides, he also plays football outside the classrooms in the darkness regardless of being dinner time. Moreover, Holden does not inform his parents about his expulsion from Pencey and plans to escape from home. His actions of defiance to the rules and social norms imply his rebellious nature and expound the theme of rebellion in the novel.
Work Cited
Bloom, Harold, ed. JD Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. Infobase Publishing, 2014, pp. 1-83.