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Julieta Alarcón Quirós
A80153
Rhetoric III
Prof. Adriana Jiménez
September 12th, 2011.
Holden’s Internal Conflicts
In the Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is unable to cope with the
complexity of adult world. From Holden’s perspective, adults are perverted, phony and
deceitful. His idealization and utopian vision of childhood prevents him from becoming
mature and experiencing the transition towards a new stage of his life. J.D. Salinger
depicts Holden´s internal struggle through the conflicts that emerged from his
relationships due to his immature behavior and idolization of childhood. Holden
demonstrates his ambivalent emotional condition throughout his several encounters with
other characters since, even though he desires physical and emotional proximity, he
pulls back and remains acting as a child as a consequence of his distorted image of adult
world and his narcissist image of infantile stage. For this reason, he represses sexual
contact and do not address his emotions directly with adults. With the purpose of
exploring Holden’s emotional conflict, this essay will explore how sexuality, emotional
intimacy and establishment of relationships with adults are often restrained by Holden
Caulfield as a result of his alienation from adulthood and immaturity.
Holden represses any manifestation of physical closeness as a consequence of
his fear to grow into sexual maturity and his idealistic vision of intimacy based on
sincere feelings of love. Holden perceives expressions of sexual intimacy as a passage
from childhood to adulthood. Having sexual intercourse implies the lost of virginity, an
event that indicates that an individual is not a child anymore. Unlike the other guys
from his same age, Holden blocks his yearning for sex and admits he has a conflict with
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sexuality. The repression of sexuality is a clear manifestation of his subconscious
resistance for growing up. This conflict is perceived when Holden points out that, even
though he has attempted to have sex, he is still virgin because he is able to stop
caressing a girl when she asks him to do so, even when she does not mean it. Also
Holden feels an emotional bound with them that goes beyond sexual pleasure because
such girls are not prostitutes. In chapter 13, Holden refers to his sexual internal conflict:
“If you want to know the truth, I´m a virgin. I really am. I’ve had quite a few
opportunities to lose my virginity and all, but I´ve never got around to it yet […]
The thing is, most of the time when you are coming pretty close to doing it with
a girl – a girl that isn´t a prostitute or anything, I mean- she keeps telling you to
stop. The trouble with me is, I stop. Most guys don’t. I can´t help it” (92).
In addition, Holden has a romanticized notion of intimacy which is clearly stated
through his deep affection for Jane Gallagher, who was his friend and utopian love from
childhood. For Holden, she represents other perspective of intimacy based not only sex
but also on emotions, which is how children express their affection. Therefore, he gets
very worried and nervous when Jane goes on a date with Stradlater who barely knows
her and only wants to have sex. Holden idolizes childhood and wants to protect Jane
from being hurt by “the sexy bastard” who symbolizes the adult´s conception of
intimacy which is held back by Holden. In chapter 11, Holden refers to the Stradlater’s
date and how that makes him feel disappointed because he has an emotional bound with
her while Stradlater only wants Jane to satisfy his sexual needs:
“I sat down in this vomity-looking chair in the lobby and thought about her and
Stradlater sitting in that goddamn Ed Banky’s car, and though I was pretty damn
sure old Stradlater hadn’t giver her the time-I know old Jane like a book- I still
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could not get her off my brain […] I really got to know her quite intimately. I
don’t mean it was anything physical or anything –it wasn’t- but we saw each
other all the time .You don’t always have to get too sexy to get to know a
girl”(76).
For Holden, sexuality implies corruption and lost of innocence, which are aspects he
hates most about the adult world. He refers to adults as perverts and criticizes how they
exposed children to the lost of their innocence. He points out how Jane´s stepfather
corrupts children by walking naked in front of her, and Stradlater enjoys listening that
sexy stuff: “That really interested him. About the booze hound running around the
house naked with Jane around, Stradlater was a very sexy bastard” (32). His concept of
affection is related to the romantic notion of love rather than the sexual desire. In fact,
while he was looking the couple in the hotel playing and squirting water to each other
on their faces, he admits to feel fascinated about it, but those feelings are restrained in
his mind after thinking that he would not do that to girl he really likes:
“I don´t like the idea. It stinks, if you analyze it. I think if you don´t really like a
girl, you should not horse around with her at all, and if you do like her, then
you are supposed to like her face, and if you like her face, you ought to be
careful about doing crumby stuff to it” (62).
After considering that sexual intimacy is a indication of the transition to adulthood,
Holden restrains any manifestation of sexual desire as a result of his distorted and
romanticized image of physical intimacy.
Holden is incapable of addressing his own emotions directly and discovering the
source of his emotional problems. As a result, he years frequent companionship most of
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the time with the purpose of expressing his emotions, but he always sabotages his
attempts due to his alienation from childhood that makes him feel more superior and
different from adults. During his talking with Mr. Spencer, his history teacher, Holden
makes several attempts for disclosing his feelings. However, at the end of the
conversation he admits that, even though Mr. Spencer is trying to help, he is an adult in
the opposite side: “I’d like to put some sense in that head of yours, boy. I’m trying to
help you. I´m trying to help you if I can. He really was, too. You could see that. But it
was just that we were too much on opposites sides of the pole” (14-15). Although
Holden creates a protective wall that prevents him from expressing his feelings, he
desperately continues searching for new opportunities to establish emotional intimacy
with others. In fact, his encounters with Phoebe and Carl Luke let him think
retrospectively and reach some emotional intimacy with them in order to communicate
his negative emotions towards adulthood. Holden years to speak with Phoebe since she
is the only authentic person who can really listen to him. Holden becomes more intimate
with the individuals that are in the same side of the pole, as he refers to. He reveals to
Phoebe the reason why he was kicked out from Pencey, and how he feels about it. Also,
she gives Holden the confidence to talk about his emotional struggle against adulthood:
“'Oh, God, Phoebe, don’t ask me. I’m sick of everybody asking me that, I said.
A million reasons why. It was one of the worst schools I ever went to. It was full
of phonies […] Old Phoebe didn’t say anything, but she was listening. I could
tell by the back of her neck that she was listening. She always listens when you
tell her something. And the funny part is she knows, half the time, what the hell
you are talking about” (167-168).
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Carl Luce also helps Holden to realize that he has a conflict with sexuality. Holden
considers Luce an intelligent guy that really knows about sex, and not a moron like the
others. His honesty allows Holden to talk about his sexual concerns because he is
always willing to listen to and give wise advice. In fact, Carl lets Holden know that his
mind is immature and the need to receive psychological help.
“Maybe I’ll go to China. My sex life is lousy, I said.
Naturally. Your mind is immature
[…] You know what the trouble with me is. I can never get really sexy-I mean
really sexy- with a girl I don´t like a lot. I mean I have to like her a lot. If I
don´t. I sort of lose my goddamn desire for her and all. It really screws up my
sex life something awful” (147-148).
Throughout his multiple encounters, Holden strives for emotional intimacy that let him
express his emotions. He finds this kind of intimacy in Carl and Phoebe who differs
from adults because they are honest and understanding.
Instead of recognizing that adulthood actually scares him, Holden reacts in a
defensive and childish manner when he socializes with adults; as a result, he detains any
attempt for establishing mature relationships. One aspect he hates about adult life is its
phoniness. He has a utopian vision of childhood and believes that growing into maturity
will lead him to hypocrisy and phoniness. Therefore, he assumes a critical and bitter
position by criticizing the way adults behave and conduct their lives. When he is in the
bar with Sally, he starts complaining about the behavior of George, Sally’s friend, and
how to be surrounded by phonies was nauseating:
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“Old buddyroos. It was nauseating. The funny part was, they probably met each
other just once, at some phony party […] Then he and old Sally started talking
about all the they both new. It was the phoniest conversation you ever heard in
your life” (127)
Holden’s resistance for growing up into maturity also affects the way in which he
manages his interpersonal relationships. If any situation bothers him, he decides to
behave as a child looking for attention or to evade the confrontations of his bad actions
by complaining about a pain or yelling. However, his lack of maturity does not let him
realize his childish exhibitions. While he was dating Sally Hayes, he criticizes phonies
and life in New York, but he starts yelling and cursing at Sally whom he refers as a
“pain in the ass”:
“Well I hate it. Boy, do I hate it. I said. But it isn’t just that. It is everything. I
hate living in New York and all. Taxicabs, and Madison Avenue Buses with the
drivers and all always yelling at you to get out of the rear door, and being
introduced to phony guys […] Don’t shout, please, old Sally said, which was
very
funny, because I wasn´t even shouting” (130).
Holden is afraid of competing in an adult world. As a consequence, his isolation from
adults and lack of communication are manifestations of his instinct of self-protection
that impedes to relate with his parents, classmates and Jane. As a matter of fact, he years
to have a connection with Jane, but he does make any effort for contacting her. Even
though he tries to call her, he assumes an ambivalent attitude and gives up at the last
minute. He does not acknowledge his feelings for her. He longs Jane, but he prefers to
remember the Jane from childhood rather than facing the Jane from adulthood. In the
same way, he does not establish an emotional bound with adults but he does with
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children like Phoebe: “Holden! She said right away. She put her arms around my neck
and all. She’s very affectionate. I mean she is quite affectionate, for a child. Sometimes
she is even to affectionate. I sort of gave her a kiss” (161). The incapability of
establishing relationships with adults derives from Holden’s fear for becoming
deceitful. As a result, he behaves childishly and immaturely as an instinct of selfprotection.
In conclusion, in the Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger portraits Holden Caulfield
as a character that goes trough several conflicts as a result of his inability to cope with
the complexity that adulthood brings about. Therefore, Holden restrains the physical
desire because he perceives it as perversion. Also, he avoids emotional intimacy since
he realizes his reluctance to express his feelings with adults. In the same way, he
restricts his relations as a result of his lack of maturity. Those conflicts derived from his
distorted image of adulthood and his idealization of childhood which make Holden
struggle against the inevitable process of transition towards a new life stage.