In Search Of Sincerity-An Ethical Interpretation Of J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher In The Rye

Although the value of sincerity has been mentioned in passing by Salinger critics in the past decades, its connotation has never been probed into, nor has its significance been granted enough recognition. Adopting the approach of ethical criticism, the present thesis intends to give detailed analysis of J. D. Salinger’s only published novel The Catcher in the Rye. By tracing the protagonist’s changing mentality in the process of his development and his final choices towards the future, it aims to demonstrate sincerity as an important ethical value of the novel.The thesis consists of three parts. The introduction part looks back upon the origin of sincerity, the modern idea of which is first proposed by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. As sincerity requires the authentic expression of self, while society drowns the voice of individual selves in the torrents of the crowd, it indicates the inherent conflict between man and his environment, the cleavage between which marks the awakening of modern man’s self-conscious sense of existence and the inward turn of value authority. The agony of modern citizens within an alienated social environment is further intensified in the mass society of post-WWII America, against the background of which the novel is developed. The first chapter, focusing on the various experiences and mental reactions of the protagonist in the course of social interaction, intends to suggest that Holden’s longing for sincerity is originated from his aversion to the insincere world of the phonies, the insincerity of whom has its influence upon himself, which casts him into painful self-struggle. As nobody around seems to share or understand his agony and anxiety, Holden finally finds himself extremely lonely and miserable. The second chapter, focusing on the soothing forces for the protagonist, intends to suggest that the natural state of children and the pure heart of the nuns are the embodiments of Holden’s ideal state of sincerity. But as the former is to elapse with the passage of time while the latter exists as the remnant of a past age, the contrast they form with the world of reality has only intensified Holden’s anxiety. The third chapter, focusing on the fantasies adopted by the protagonist, intends to suggest that the unrealistic prospects pointed out by them serve as indications of Holden’s heartfelt expectation to safeguard his sincere ideal. The last chapter analyses the inherent reason behind the protagonist’s return to reality and looks towards his possible choices. Through an interpretation of his changing attitude towards life, it hopes to highlight the implication toward sincerity the novel has to offer. The conclusion part suggests that one of the most important reasons for the prolonged popularity of Salinger’s novel lies in its concern for modern man’s value of existence, presented through its portrayal of the protagonist’s pursuit of sincerity. A voice of dissent in the highly conservative and conforming environment of America of the late 1940s and early 1950s, the novel serves as harbinger for the new trend of thought of the next decade.