Catcher In The Rye Isolation Theme

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger introduces a conflicted and lonesome character named Holden. Being protected is just as important to Holden as being protective over children; the title of the book is a constant reminder of Holden’s ultimate goal: being the catcher in the rye (23). The title first becomes present in the novel when Holden overhears a kid singing “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye” (62). At the moment, Holden becomes at peace, but he later becomes bothered by a dream of seeing children playing in a rye field at the edge of a cliff that they couldn't see because the rye was so tall, so he imagined himself as “the catcher,” the man who would catch the children before they fell over and lost their innocence. The cliff represents childhood,
Holden’s fear of being intimate and a part of a relationship makes him vulnerable to being hurt. This most likely hints at his fears of the unknown, change and complexity which explains his attachment to the Natural History Museum, where “the only thing that would be different would be you” (65). As a result, he completely detaches himself from people and through his pessimistic persona, he is constantly on the lookout for reasons to hate being an adult. However, when looking at his circle of “friends,” they’re privileged, rich and adults, like him. Hanging out with them gives him the opportunity of being directly judgemental towards them rather than himself because their perspectives and conflicts are similar. With Phoebe, he feels at peace and enjoys his time with her, but her physical image (a child) overpowers her personality of being unpredictable, complex and prone to change. The placement of a child mask on his monsters (fears) forces him to confront them, but in a more positive and relaxed manner. Through this, it becomes clear that the challenging innocent questions from Phoebe challenges Holden to question his self-confidence and self-worth which then leads to his fear of “phoniness.” Through Phoebe’s suggestion of being a lawyer, Holden considers the idea and immediately swarms towards “saving innocent [guys’] lives,” but rejects it after he thinks about what he has
At this point in his life, Holden is becoming slightly suicidal and his headmaster slowly becomes to take notice of his contemplation of this, so he decides to give him these words of wisdom as a way of encouragement. However, subconsciously he’s been doing this throughout the novel because he’s found his cause to try and save the children, but he hasn’t accepted the idea of just living for the sake of being a humble and happy man."Some game. If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then it's a game, all right – I'll admit that. But if you get on the other side, where there aren't any hot-shots, then what's a game about it? Nothing. No game" (5). Here, it becomes clear that Holden obviously doesn’t refer to himself as a “hot shot” and thinks less of himself. He does this as he is cursing which, again, is an effect of being an adult. Holden adds on to this helpless persona by feeling “victimized and alienated.” “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was...The only thing that would be different would be you” (66). There’s so much truth in this quote and it makes him vulnerable to the audience, while he does seem content in the museum because it makes him feel protected, it is clear that he tries to make genuine relationships with