Holden Caulfield’s Internal Monologue and External Persona in Catcher in the Rye
Holden Caulfield’s Internal Monologue and External Persona in Catcher in the Rye
In Catcher in the Rye we are shown a main character whose external world and internal monologue show two vastly different perceptions and understandings of the world around him. He often says one thing out loud or experiences one thing in real life, while understanding these things completely differently in his head. Oftentimes, this also shows his deep rooted insecurity about himself and his place in the world, which could both point to mental problems. Not only are his outlooks on life bleak, his past is not exactly pleasant either. He misses his childhood, and now has to try to understand his place in a world he doesn’t feel he is accepted in—and without his favorite person, Allie, immortalized in the past he so desperately clings to.
One example of the disconnect is when he goes to his parents’ house at night to talk to his sister Phoebe. Throughout the book he has talked her character up, saying how much her words mean to him, and when he finally goes to talk to her, she reflects the ideas of the society he hates so much. Since he cares about her so much, he tries to understand her perspective and as a part of this, he tries to think of something he likes— not even something he loves, just likes. He searches and searches, first finding a relatively normal interaction with two nuns that had no great significance on him, then thinking immediately and in detail about a boy who committed suicide after being assaulted and bullied at one of his previous prep schools (Salinger, 169-171). His immediate thought, while noble and something he admires in a person, is so morbid, it reminds the reader of Holden’s suicidal ideations and depressing outlook on life.
Holden also displays a constant unawareness of the world around him and an immaturity that comes from his constant attempts at escaping from the society he feels so trapped by. This is shown in one of his first scenes with kids at his prep school. He is talking to Ackley, annoyed at Ackley’s lack of self-awareness when he stands over Holden’s light while Holden tries to read (Salinger 21). Then, not even 20 minutes later, Holden does the same thing to Stradlater, showing a complete lack of self-awareness when he is standing in front of Stradlater’s light in the bathroom (Salinger, 31). He is living in a completely different world in his head than in real life, feeling bleak about the things around him. He is full of high standards, most of which he doesn’t even externally meet himself, yet he is completely unaware of the double standard, due to how trapped he is in his own mind.
Repeatedly throughout the book, the distance between Holden’s internal thoughts and his external persona display his insecurity and immaturity. He is unable to fully be present in the real world due to high standards and complicated feelings in his head that make him constantly pessimistic and distant. He can’t reach the standards he sets for those around him, and he can’t connect to anyone in the real world, often leaving him feeling lonely and in his words ‘depressed’. Yet he acts completely nonchalant and unaware when talking to the reader, with whom he shares his internal monologue, acting ‘cool’ as a cover as he walks through life, pulled down by all the bad parts of the society he lives in, unable to come up for air.
Work Cited
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Little, Brown and Company, 1951
Hi Praachi, I think it's very interesting how Phoebe is slowly becoming the very thing Holden hates about society but he still loves her so much. She honestly might become similar to DB in the future if this continues in the direction it's been heading. His lack of self awareness could also be the reason why he seems so depressed because he's also exactly the type of person who he would call phony.
ReplyDeleteYour blog brings up an interesting thought in my mind that Holden likely believes everyone around him is a "phony" because he is so often not being honest himself. If this disconnect between his outward experience and inward feelings, which, as you point out is likely a result of trauma, is all he knows, no wonder he feels like everyone else is faking it, too. It's definitely true that this contributes to Holden's negative views of the world and suicidal ideation. Good post!
ReplyDeleteOk first of all your blog theme is really cute what the heck I might have to steal this idk. I really enjoyed reading this blog! I think you bring up a good point about how Holden can't immerse himself in the real world, and he spends all of his time in his head because he seems to enjoy that more than the real world. I feel like Holden kind of digs himself deeper into this hole he's in by never letting himself enjoy things, always feeling the need to come up with a snarky comment about how phony it is. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteHi, great post! I really agree that Holden is a pretty immature character who remains unaware of the real world around him. He doesn’t realize what a constricted view of the world he has, and that’s why he views everyone as phonies. I think that if Holden has a more opened minded perspective, he would be far more mature and see that life isn’t all that bad.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you explored the disconnect between Holden’s internal thoughts and external actions. His hypocrisy is so interesting because he doesn’t even seem to realize it, which makes him feel even more lost. Great analysis!
ReplyDeleteHi Praachi!!! Ruby just had to steal what I was thinking about the theme... Anyway I really like how you highlighted this self-damaging trait of Holden's where hes deceiving himself. His mind constantly goes to a place completely unrelated to what is happening outside of his own little world. Holden really is an interesting character, and I think you portrayed his complicated behaviors in a really great way! Amazing blog :)
ReplyDeleteI agree that there are a number of points in his narrative that Holden betrays an apparent lack of self-awareness--it can be a fun parlor game with this novel, to try to identify all of the times in which Holden immediately contradicts himself. But I would say that these moments likely DO bother him, and he IS aware of his own propensity to "play the game"--think of his brief apology to us when he tells "Commander Blop" that he's "glad to've met" him ("If you want to stay alive, you have to say that stuff, though"). We might get an image of Holden as a constant wisecracking source of negative commentary, but almost ALL of this stuff (as you note) happens internally in his narration. In public, he is generally polite and even deferential to adults (Spencer has NO IDEA how Holden really feels about him, for example). I often view Holden as observing himself becoming more and more willing to compromise in these ways, to tolerate and even take part in phoniness to a degree that troubles him, and I'd say it has a lot to do with his bleak view of adulthood--it's an unending sequence of false poses and compliments you don't mean, saying the right thing in order to "stay alive" while never speaking the truth. He is all too aware that he no longer has the innocence he attributes to children--to follow the terms of his "crazy" fantasy, he is the only one in the field full of children to be aware that there IS a cliff.
ReplyDeleteI really like the point you made about Phoebe kind of surpassing Holden in the growing-up sense, and it just seems like Holden is so fixated on the characters in his past (past Phoebe, Allie, Jane) that when Phoebe is growing up, he is thrown a little off guard. I agree that Holden's gravitation toward bleak things like his former classmate's death and wanting to catch children before they fall off cliffs mirrors his internal perspective, and I feel like because of that, he isn't able to relate to the people around him. Also yay same blog theme!!
ReplyDeleteHiya Praachi! This is really well written!! The scene with Phoebe was definitely one of the most captivating, and it was quite odd because of the details you mentioned. I found it puzzling how Holden couldn't even figure out one thing he liked (and as you said, liked, not even loved), and it really put into perspective how little positive thinking Holden did. He was always so stuck in the past and bitter about everything else, and when confronted by one of the few things he truly cared for, he was at a loss for words. Great post!
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