Eventually, Holden realizes that he cannot protect children from the adult world, that they must grow up, and learn by making their own mistakes. He sees himself as "the catcher in the rye," saving kids from the unknown. Holden sees his purpose as protecting children from a world that does its best to ignore them. Holden's parents are distant and seemingly unconcerned with their children: instead of getting parental attention he is shipped off to boarding school after boarding school, and when ten-year-old Phoebe admits to smoking a cigarette her mother hardly bothers to scold her. Allie has died of leukemia, and Holden has witnessed the death of a classmate as well. The two people Holden says he likes are Thomas Hardy (chapter 3) and his younger brother Allie Caulfield (chapter 22). What is most interesting about the novel, however, is what we learn of Holden's psychology through the course of the story. The plot of Catcher revolves entirely around Holden - the action of the novel is Holden's adventures while unchaperoned for three days, and other characters are only important inasmuch as they are important to Holden. Holden associates aging with hypocrisy and death, and this explains his appreciation of the innocence of children and also his own resistance to becoming an adult. Antolini, a drunk stuck in a loveless marriage. Grown-ups inevitably disappoint and show themselves to be hypocrites, like his older brother D.B., prostituting his talent in Hollywood, or his former teacher, Mr. Only children have the honesty and lack of prejudices that the idealistic Holden expects of the world. Holden feels most comfortable relating to children, especially his younger siblings Allie and Phoebe. It's also evident that Holden is friendly, but seems subject to bouts of severe loneliness (witness how many times Holden invites people to join him for a drink, including cab drivers). We can also conclude that Holden is thoughtful, sensitive in his treatment of others, and that his family is quite rich. We are told that Holden is sixteen, thin, wears his hair in a crewcut, doesn't eat much, smokes too much, and is somewhat out of shape. We only know of Holden what Holden himself chooses to tell us, and what he chooses to report of what others say about him. Since Holden is both the main character and the narrator of the novel, everything the audience learns is filtered through Holden's consciousness. Holden Caulfield can be said to be truly the only character in The Catcher in the Rye. \ Studyworld\ Studyworld Studynotes \ Catcher in the Rye, The: Studyworld Studynotes - Quotes - Reports & Essays
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