Catcher In The Rye Manipulation Analysis

J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is a novel that portrays a teenage boy’s struggles with adolescence. Throughout the novel, he aimlessly wanders throughout New York City, encountering prostitutes, nuns, new faces, old faces, and also experiences “street scenes,” nightclubs, cheap hotels and many other people and places. He is sick and tired of the world and feels that everything and everyone are “phony” because he cannot understand the fact that people's personalities, identities, and behaviors change when surrounded by other people so they can adjust and survive in society. The boy’s ignorant attitude reflects his immature self and his motives are rarely shared with other characters, leaving those characters oblivious to his intimidating …show more content…
Due to his age, he should not be able to take part in certain activities, but because of his spoken word, he enables himself to do so. When he is offered a prostitute by an elevator operator, the man asks for Holden’s age; Holden quickly replies “twenty-two”, and without any need for identification or any thought of untruthfulness, the elevator operator sets up Holden with the prostitute. This event further emphasizes the carelessness of society and the small amount of effort it takes to manipulate the people. The suggestion that it takes a minimal effort to manipulate society is easily conveyed through Holden’s character, and as a result enabled the story to have an “on-the-edge” …show more content…
When he introduces a girl he likes, Sally Hayes, he emphasizes how he finds her personality annoying and loud, although it is clear that he is attracted to Sally because of the way he interacts with her. Holden’s experience with Sally clearly points out his issue with acknowledging the good in people and as a result of his confusion towards society’s actions, Holden’s mind is constantly put under a state of uncertainty. This uncertainty gradually causes him to lose faith in humanity to the point where he can no longer tolerate society and completely loses faith. Through his experiences, society continuously tests Holden to a degree so high that he can no longer handle reality, and goes