(Un)Problematic Holden: Dichotomous reception of "The Catcher in the Rye"

Abstract

Is the main character of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, an innocent teenager who struggles with the faults of the cruel and unjust adult world, or is he a “phony” hypocrite himself who due to his immaturity is not actually capable of creating the right judgments? This dichotomy of interpreting one of the most popular characters of American literature is the main concern of this paper. This research engages with two literary theories proposed by Wolfgang Iser (1972) and James Phelan (1989) in order to develop a systematic explanation for the character’s heterogeneous interpretation. This research argues that the ambivalence of Holden’s language and the finale of the narration create the biggest gaps that endow the reader with a higher level of freedom to interpret the character. This uncertainty hidden under the confessional mode of the narration makes readers perceive the character either with sympathy or with antipathy.