Alienation as a pattern of Self-Protection

Introduction

Alienation takes control over Holden, the main character in the book, in a variety of different ways. As the book opens him up to his many characteristics, Holden shows his rejection towards his school in one of the biggest football games. He sat on a hill close to the field with the excuse that all the people at the game were fake. Holden talked about his classmates as though the only reason they went to the game was to be socially acceptable.

Holden seems to be a regular guy with regular problems. He knows people in school and makes you assume that he has friends. Yet all he does is criticize them in every little fall they may or may not have. One of the first people we meet is a guy by the name Ackley. Apparently most people do not like Ackley for his disgusting manners and his ego. Holden makes sure that the bad side of Ackley is exposed, but at the same time his wall of protection against getting hurt is also raised up in this. When talking to Ackley he also mentions his roommate Stradlater who in is placed upon the readers view as a really nice and generous guy. Once Stradlater comes back from the game though, Holden seems to change his views on him. Holden goes with Stradlater to the bathroom to keep him company and tells how stuck up of a person he is. How Stradlater thinks that he is the hottest guy in the world and to top it all up he compares him to Ackley. Not to long ago he claimed Ackley to be a slob and annoying, and Stradlater to be a gentleman. Holden explains how both of them can be slobs at times in their own rooms, how his roommate pretends to be a clean freak but at times may do things like Ackley.

We also find out in the story that Holden was no longer part of a school team because he lost the equipment. In most cases a team is made to get to know each member of it and become friends. Holden never really mention any of the players as individuals and claimed he did not know any of them very well. This comes to show that even in a team Holden alienated himself from the team. What would cause him to do this is part of the mystery of this book. The only guess is that he is trying to protect himself from not getting hurt; the reason why he does not want to get hurt is also part of this mystery.

Catch in the Rye and adolesences in society today

In the book a girl from Holden's past is introduced as being a date of Stradlater. Holden fills with excitement and can not seem to take her out of his mind. He starts to tell Stradlater about her and how she danced and how she played checkers, details that only a true friend or ...