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A PSYCHOANALYTIC PERSPECTIVE IN “THE CATCHER IN THE RYE”  

BY JEROME DAVID SALLINGER 

 

Fidan BEHBUDOVA 

Qafqaz University  

[e-mail] 

 

 “The Catcher in the Rye” is  one  of  the significant  novel  integrated through  teenager ‘s life  was  written by 

American author J.D Salinger, has sold over 93 million copies and was  denominated by Time magazine as one of the “100 

Best English-Language novels of the 20th century”. The novel’s   main  hero  ,as well as  the narrator , Holden Caulfield, 

has been a symbol  for  adolescent  revolt  ever since it’s  publishing.   Holden Caulfield is an essential example of how 

society and events in your life can formalize who you are as a person.  

If   we  can use  psychoanalytic lens  while  reading  “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger  elicits  the protagonist, 

Holden Caulfield  is in  pain  due to the death of his young brother, Allie. Allie’s premature   death    reveals Holden's 

cynical attitude   to the world and the “phonies” around him.  Holden alienates himself from those around him for to avoid 

from an upheaval of life.  J.D Salinger   demonstrated   a hat, a museum, and a merry-go-round to clarify Holden’s inner 

turmoil with people, the notion of matureness and growing up. 

The unusual  hat that Holden’s holds close to him symbolizes his dream  distinguish  himself from the ordinary  place 

“phonies” around him and he  found himself in  his brother’s lost childhood. On the other side, Holden’s comprehension of 

the people is one of contempt   so he believes nobody   behaves how they   really feel.  Holden is terrified with growing up   

because of   leading to the “phoniness” of adulthood. The hat, with its eccentric   style, comprises  Holden’s  desire  to retain  

to the insignificance  and  clarity  that childhood allows and suggests him “quite a lot of protection”   However, Holden gets  

embarrassed  to wear the hat around his peers because he is  inconvenient  being too diverse, inducing contradictory 

thoughts in Holden’s mind that leads to his depressive case. 

The other   crucial factor in Holden’s depressive state is the museum he visits every year. Holden disapproves the fact 

that the artifacts or exhibits in the museum   maintain the same year after year, but he   realizes his life does not stagnate 

similarly saying, “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody had 

moved … Nobody would be different. The only thing that would be different would be you”  

Apparently, Holden had much better life never moves forward,   as when on a merry-go-round. The merry-go-round   

demonstrates    Holden’s   volition   to halt childhood from progressing into adulthood. The circular, never-ending, 

movements ward him off stepping into a complicated and difficult life. The merry-go-round is a toy as children love and as 

Holden experiences the   delight of adolescence.  Holden discovers   happiness because he   eventually allows going of his 

fear of   death and just experiences a moment.  Hence, Holden feels the need to   rescue people from losing their innocence. 

The depression from losing Allie does not live his life as he notices that maturing will not just bring the troubles and 

“phoniness”, but allow him to connect with others and live a meaningful life. In “The Catcher in the Rye" J. D. Salinger   

represents   a sincere portrait of an anxious teenage boy. This book has become fully investigated for its profundity into the 

universal problems of male adolescence; disappointment with the world, sexual confusion, passive-aggressive behavior, loss 

of childhood innocence and self-loathing.  

However, the portrait of Holden Caulfield elicits even more substantial potential   troubles, the most obvious being 

depression. Holden Caulfield is also inclined to imaginations and delusions.  He frequently   embellishes his fantasy  

The post-World War II years in New York were the beginning of the Golden Age of psychoanalysis. Perhaps if we 

were to   enlarge   the message of "Catcher in the Rye", it seems that   the   writer   has little hope for the sanity of the 

modern world, as the question is left open whether Holden Caulfield will settle down his internal problems. 

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