Tuesday, May 13, 2014

What is the conflict between real values and supposed values in Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye?

In order to answer this question, I'd like to discuss J.D. Salinger's Nine Stories briefly. One of the primary motifs of Nine Stories is a rejection of American consumerism. Published in the early 1950s, the American Dream became a simple goal: a house, family, car, radio/television, etc. Nearly every story in Nine Stories confronts this American Dream and how it distorts the idea of a good life.


There are several precursors to this motif in The Catcher in the Rye. Throughout this novel, Holden rejects the supposed American values. While you can probably glean this idea through his narration, it becomes obvious during his conversation with Sally Hayes late in the novel. Sally completely buys into the American Dream that consists of a drive for consumer goods. She loves the movies and loves theater. However, Holden makes it clear to Sally that he rejects this way of life:



"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 at the rear door, and being introduced to phony guys that call the Lunts angels, and going up and down in elevators when you just want to go outside, and guys fitting your pants all the time at Brooks, and people always—"



Instead, Holden values a genuine way of living. He tells Sally he wants to run away with her to the woods. He tells her that they could "stay in these cabin camps and stuff like that till the dough runs out. Then, when the dough runs out, I could get a job somewhere and we could live somewhere with a brook and all..." Holden's fantasy about living a real life continues when he tells his sister Phoebe that he's going to move out to Colorado to work and live on a ranch. 


While it's important not to confuse a work with the author's life, it seems worth mentioning that Salinger himself rejected the consumer-driven lifestyle. Salinger grew up in New York City and involved himself in this consumer lifestyle. However, in the 1950s, Salinger gave up this lifestyle and moved to a rural town in New Hampshire, rarely making public appearances. 


So, with all this evidence, it's important to note that Holden, at his core, rejects the supposed values related to money and things. This rejection of the typical American culture is Holden's primary internal conflict in the novel.

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