Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is written in a first person narrative told by a teenager, Holden Caulfield. Holden reflects on the experiences he had over the course of a few days. The story begins at Pencey Prep, where he is kicked out and the rest takes place in New York. The essential question of this novel is, by looking at Holden’s development as a character through these experiences, is Catcher in the Rye a bildungsroman? First, a bildungsroman is a genre of novel that shows a young protagonist’s journey from childhood to adulthood. In order for a work to be a bildungsroman, the protagonist must have a psychological, moral or spiritual reassessment. Holden can be described as someone who is critical, not particularly ambitious, and uncertain of his future. Holden does not encounter any change because his 17-year-old self at the end is the same as the 16-year-old he was at the beginning.
The narrative style of chapters 1 and 26 are the same. In chapter 1, Holden begins saying ¨If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born…… but I don't feel like going into it” (1). In chapter 26, Holden says “That’s all I’m going to tell about. I could probably tell you what I did after I got home…. but I don’t feel like it” (234). His choice to end the story that way shows that he is not learning from it. Furthermore, the narrative spans around only a few days, so it is unlikely that Holden went through a change. Change happens gradually, not in an instant. Also, it is possible that even if Holden did change, he would have reversed back to his old personality and continued doing the same things.
In the final chapter, Holden goes with Phoebe to the carousel. This chapter is one of the most symbolic moments in the novel and where Salinger closes on the central idea of growing up. The carousel in the final pages represents a cycle because a carousel goes round and round. The carousel will continue to do the same thing until it shuts down. Salinger is communicating that there is no real change for Holden. He will continue to be a lone wanderer. This contradicts the “glass case in a museum” symbolism which is about change. What is inside the glass stays frozen in time and what changes is the person outside the glass. Holden wishes time was frozen, so that he doesn’t have to change or grow up. He does not want to his childhood to go.
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In “Traits of a Bildungsroman” by Deng Rushferd, one of the traits of a bildungsroman is that the protagonist “must come to terms with or accept, after painful soul searching, the world he lives in.” Holden is critical of the world he lives in, he views the adults around him as “phonies,” and does not change his view. Additionally, Holden does not come to terms with the death of his brother Allie. When he walks down the street of New York city, he has a fear of disappearing and imagines himself walking with Allie. “Every time I’d get to the end of a block I’d make believe I was talking to my brother Allie. I’d say to him, ‘Allie don’t let me disappear,’ and then … I’d thank him” (218).
Another trait of a bildungsroman is that “the protagonist is then able to reach out and help other after having reached maturity” (Rushferd). Some argue that Holden has matured enough to be able to help his sister Phoebe when she gets older. However, Holden is not fit to help others because he has not learned from his mistakes, he has not made an effort to turn himself around. Holden can’t teach Phoebe if he didn’t learn anything himself.
By looking at Holden’s development throughout the novel, Holden does not change morally or psychologically. Therefore Catcher in the Rye does not adhere to the tradition of a Bildungsroman. By the end of novel, Holden can still be identified as a critical teenager who is unambitious and uncertain of his future. He has yet to achieve maturity because he has not acknowledged his immaturity, reconciled with his brother’s death or learned from his mistakes.
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