Karakteristik af Holden Caulfield i 'The Catcher in the Rye'

Holden Caulfield is a sixteen-year-old teenage boy who in J.D. Salinger's, "The Catcher in the Rye" is telling his story from a mental hospital. Holden comes from an upper-middle class family. I think that Mr. and Mrs. Caulfield are not there when Holden needs them to talk and care for him, which seems to drive Holden away from his family. However, he has an intimate bond with his younger siblings, who exemplify innocence and youth. The death of his little brother Allie has left a large scar on Holden. However, he has a very close relationship with his young and innocent sister, Phoebe, who is the only person he is fond of and cherish.

Holden has been kicked out of many schools. He is an intellectual teenager, who refuses to realize himself, and therefore goes from school to school.

He uses the word “phony” to identify everything in the world that he rejects. He always sees something wrong with everybody. People are too talkative, too quiet, or just weird. He thinks that he is the perfect person but no one believes that he is. With this, Holden believes that he is surrounded by "phoniness." He does not have relationships with girls, and he does not have many friends because he feels that he is the only genuine and real person in the world.