Holden's Corrupt Society

Post World War II America experienced an economic boom never before seen in the United States. Despite this prosperity, discontent and alienation were becoming a common experience for American youth. J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye portrays its protagonist, Holden Caulfield, as a disenfranchised youth who can no longer function in the world in which he resides. The novel became an instant success among young people. The Catcher in the Rye’s …

…despite his swearing, drinking, smoking, and other superficial crudities. Holden is special. He is spiritual, generous, and protective of the innocent. The society that surrounds Holden is corrupt, immoral and spiritually void, regardless of an individual’s place in society. In this world the immoral, the Ossenbergers and the Stradlaters survive, while Holden cannot. Holden is not equipped with the ability to be immoral, therefore is unable to deal with the reality of his society.