Who is the hero of The Catcher in the Rye?

The hero of The Catcher in the Rye is the protagonist Holden Caulfield. While Holden does not do any heroic deeds, he is the hero because of what he does for the reader. Holden's role is to help the reader connect to and understand the novel. He is able to accomplish this through his experiences and traits. Holden is very cynical and is extremely dissatisfied with the world and people around him. He is very immature and seems to have trouble applying himself. Holden has also encountered many tragedies in his life including the death of his beloved younger brother Allie and missing Allie's funeral. Holden can often be seen trying to distance himself from the world that he feels no love for, and he does not want to grow up and change. Through Holden's personality the reader can sympathize and relate to Holden. Everyone comes to a time in their life where they are between childhood and adulthood. They too feel the uncertainty about becoming an adult and leaving their childhood behind as Holden does. Holden is also able to show the reader what could happen to them if they decide to distance themselves from the world in the attempts to stop the changes in their lives. Life is always flowing and never stops. You cannot simply decide to stop moving forward, but Holden tries. The reader is able to see the consequences of Holden's decision to not move on. Holden falls into despair and becomes reckless. For example, the harder Holden resists life the more he begins to drink. Holden does this one night after meeting with a boy he once knew that has become an adult (Salinger187). This makes Holden distraught that other people are moving on, and causes him to drink alcohol and become drunk (Salinger 194). He also tries to run away from his problems, which only causes pain for the people that love him. When Phoebe finds out that Holden is leaving she gets very upset and tries to go with him (Salinger 167). This makes Holden realize what he has done to everyone he loves, and this is where Holden begins his mental breakdown. Holden even has to be institutionalized and psychoanalyzed (Salinger 276). Holden's breakdown shows the reader what happens when you stop life and he is able to become an example not to be followed by the reader.

Bibliography:Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and, 1991. Print.