On Holden Caufield’s Dilemma In The Catcher In The Rye

The Catcher in the Rye, published in1951, is the only published novel of J.D.Salinger, which made him one of the most popular novelists in postwar America.However, in the mean time, some critics thought that the novel might guide the youthto go astray.The Catcher in the Rye has pointed out the problems which young people werefaced of in their growth in the society after World War II. Holden Caulfield, theprotagonist of the novel, was a typical representative of rebellious youth in postwarAmerica and one of the earliest anti-hero images in American literature.This paper is going to use psychological reactance theory to explain the formation,classification and solutions of Holden Caulfield’s dilemma. Therefore, the body partof this dissertation is going to answer three questions: first, why is Holden Caulfieldin such a dilemma? Second, what are the manifestations of Holden Caulfield’sdilemma? Third, how does Holden Caulfield solve this mental problem?According to these three major issues, this paper intends to draw three conclusions:first, Holden Caulfield’s dilemma is caused by the threat to his perceived freedom.Second, in the “reactance” process, Holden Caulfield can’t help imitating otherpeople’s behaviors. This kind of dilemma is the display of the combat betweenHolden Caulfield’s id and superego. Third, at last, as Holden Caulfield’s attempts tochange the world fails, he has no other choice but to go insane.