Catcher in the Rye

In The Catcher In the Rye, J.D. Salinger describes many of the events, which occurred in his life as a maturing adolescent in the 1950’s. The main character, Holden Caufield, is an extremely complex character. His obsession with sex and money, demonstrates the mindset that existed during the 50’s. The new consumer culture encouraged people to be materialistic. Although Holden is not a materialist, he does spend money without thinking. It does not seem …

…and his inability to express that awareness to those around him. Also, Holden’s memory of Allie’s death and the image of the duck pond relate to one another. Holden does not believe in an afterlife, he considers himself an atheist, and now he is troubled by unexplained disappearances; first the death of Allie, and now the disappearance of the ducks. Holden fears the idea that people and things just “vanish”, as Allie did.