Caroline Panoff

12 AP Literature
Mrs. Smit
13 October 2014
Introducing Holden
In Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is characterized through many
different lenses. Since his story is being told in first person, the audience can understand that he
may not be the most reliable of all narrators. Salinger characterizes Holden through the action he
completes throughout the course of the novel. At first, he is characterized as a very immature
child that does not understand what everything in his life means, but eventually Salinger shows
how he matures through how he handles the problems that are evident in the world he grows up
in.
How an author characterizes a novels main character can say a lot about the character
itself. For example, Salinger characterizes Holden through his actions. The audience can
experience exactly what he is feeling, and the cause of those feelings. Indirect characterization is
how the author introduces and portrays a character without plainly stating how a character acts or
what he or she does. Indirect characterization is very important in this novel because the story is
based all on Holdens thoughts, his recollection of memories from what happened when he left
Pencey Prep, to the present. Although indirect characterization may not be the most way to
introduce a character, the audience can infer what the author had intended to personalize the
character to be. The audience can infer that there may be more to the story than they read, for
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example, there may have been some issues at home, which is why Holdens parents shipped their
kids to school. The rest of the inference is left to the audience. They can decide what happened
with his parents when he left school, or what they thought when he arrived back at home from
his New York adventure. When an author uses indirect characterization to portray one of the
main characters, it is to allow the audience some responsibility as to what occurs to the
characters behind the text.
Point of view is also a key part of how an author displays a character. The Catcher in the
Rye is told from Holdens point of view; therefore he is a very biased and self-involved character
for majority of the novel. First person point of view allows the audience to experience what the
main character feels or expresses at any waking moment of the novel. Holden Caulfield grows,
both metaphorically and literally, Thats the whole trouble. You cant ever find a place thats
nice and peaceful, because there isnt any. You may think there is, but once you get there, when
youre not looking, somebodyll sneak up and write F*** you right under your nose. (Salinger
204). He grows in a literal sense because he realizes that no matter what good thing happens in a
life, there will always be someone ready to put another down. Point of view is important because
you realize why certain aspects are important to characters in novels.
Through point of view and indirect characterization of the characters, J.D. Salinger
characterizes the main characters and shows why they are significant to the novel. Indirect
characterization is used to explain what a character is feeling without plainly stating the fact or
emotion in the text. However, point of view can explain a lot about a character as well because
the audience experiences a lot of what the narrator feels and they get a first had experience as to
why they feel that way.
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