Here's My Rough Draft

The first half of the twentieth century was marred by the chaos and conflict of the World Wars that tore at the fibers of human morality. Much of the literature of the time mirrored society’s feelings of alienation and disenfranchisement. However, while the juvenile tone and colorful language of JD Salinger’s novel “The Catcher in the Rye” seems to create a tone of alienation and hopelessness, it instead reveals an underlying hope for meaning in human relationships and a yearning for faith and spirituality.

The main protagonist of “The Catcher in the Rye” is Holden Caulfield. The story is told as Holden sits in some sort of psychiatric ward in California and recounts his experiences that led to him being sent to the hospital to “take it easy” (Salinger, 1).  Holden is a troubled teenager greatly affected by both the death of his younger brother and also the absence of meaningful human connection. Instead of seeking out aid for his emotional problems Holden searches for meaning in superficial relationships and juvenile vices. Eventually, Holden finds himself left wanting when his decisions produce no lasting fulfillment and he has an emotional breakdown.  

Unfortunately, Holden’s lack of faith in people stems from the lack of devotion and care given to him by his family members and mentors who failed to foster Holden’s emotional and spiritual needs. Holden is notorious for avoiding his feelings and shutting himself off from the world. This is evident when Holden visits his professor, Mr. Spencer, before he is kicked out of the Pencey boarding school. Mr. Spencer invites Holden to visit him before he leaves school because he knows that Holden has been “given the ax” (Salinger, 4). Holden decides to visit his old teacher, perhaps searching for some sort of encouragement or compassion. Instead, Mr. Spencer begins to scold and lecture Holden for being lazy. Holden grins and bears the lecture while inwardly hating his teacher for not being sympathetic and for hurting his feelings. This is a perfect example of how Holden’s relationships lack substance and meaning. Instead of receiving counsel and guidance from the people around him, Holden often receives contempt and condescension while finding no meaning in his human connections. Because Holden cannot find meaningful connection from his “conventional” relationships with his family or mentors, he searches for meaningful human connection from unconventional sources.

Holden’s attitude toward religion is related to his attitude toward people. He sees the superficiality and “phoniness” attached to religion. Holden recalls an instance in chapel when a man named Ossenburger, a successful undertaker who gave the school a sizeable endowment, came to Pencey to speak to the students about success. “He told us we should always pray to God—talk to Him and all—wherever we were. He said he talked to Jesus all the time. Even when he was driving his car. That killed me. I could just see the phony b--d shifting into first gear and asking Jesus to send him a few more stiffs” (Salinger, 17). Holden sees right through the superficiality of what this man is saying. From his point of view, Holden sees no sincerity in religion or the people attached to it. Instead of receiving spiritual nourishment and comfort, Holden only sees money driven institutions that claim to help people. This only fuels his already existing desire to find meaning and spirituality. 

Despite his problems with organized religion, Holden does not write off Christianity altogether. He obviously is familiar with the Bible and has a unique admiration for Christ and the compassion that he often showed to the troubled and afflicted people. Holden says:

In the first place, I'm sort of an atheist. I like Jesus and all, but I don't care too much for most of the other stuff in the Bible. Take the Disciples, for instance. They annoy the hell out of me, if you want to know the truth. They were all right after Jesus was dead and all, but while He was alive, they were about as much use to Him as a hole in the head. All they did was keep letting Him down. I like almost anybody in the Bible better than the Disciples. If you want to know the truth, the guy I like best in the Bible, next to Jesus, was that lunatic and all, that lived in the tombs and kept cutting himself with stones. I like him ten times as much as the Disciples, that poor bastard. (Salinger, 99)

This is a interesting passage that also demonstrates Holden’s relationship with God. It is interesting to note that Holden admires Christ for His compassion that he showed to the lunatic. In a way, the lunatic represents Holden as he struggles with emotional and behavioral problems. He is not in his right mind. The passage serves as an allegory for Holden’s life and unmasks his veiled desire for a meaningful and spiritual relationship. Holden wishes he could feel some sort of compassion from somebody who understands him; much like the compassion that Christ showed the lunatic.