Adolescent Fables in The Catcher in the Rye


Photo - Lesley Lanir
The Catcher in the Rye - photo by Lesley Lanir

Holden Caulfield's behaviour in Salinger's The Catcher In The Rye, exemplifies Professor David Elkind's theory of "the personal fable".
Adolescence is a time when a young person's physiological and hormonal development begins to approximate adult maturity and at the same time psychological maturity moves an adolescent in the direction of becoming a responsible part of society. Nevertheless, being a part of society for the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, in Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger, is not possible due to his state of confusion. Interestingly, some of Caulfield's behaviours are predictable according to David Elkind in, “Understanding the Young Adolescent.”Adolescence, 1978, since Caulfield's actions exemplify Elkind's theories of  adolescent “personal fable.”

Caulfield's Personal Fable – Centre of Attention
Not only do teenagers misinterpret people’s intentions and believe they are the centres of everybody’s attention, they also often display an “it could never happen to me” attitude; This is one aspect of the “personal fable.” For instance, even though Holden Caulfield almost had tuberculosis partly due to his heavy smoking (9), he still continues to smoke (111) and consume a very unhealthy diet (113); thus Caulfield repeats reckless behaviours that seem self-destructive.
Another aspect of "the personal fable" is, as Elkind describes, an inability “to distinguish what is unique to oneself and what is common to mankind”. Examples of which are when Caulfield writes an essay for Stradlater and assumes that his story of his brother’s football mitt would not only be of great interest to his room mate but also meet the English teacher’s requirements (44-45). Not only this, Caulfield assumes that everybody has the same obsession with good quality suitcases as himself (114/115).


Caulfield's Personal Fable – Uniqueness
According to Elkind, another indication of "the personal fable” occurs when a young person “believes that his or her feelings or needs are unique, special beyond the realm of the understanding of others, particularly adults.” Caulfield displays these types of thought processes when he announces that his parents are as “touchy as hell” (1*), insinuating that their touchiness is exclusive to him. In addition, Caulfield complains that “people never notice anything” (8*) and that his schoolteacher “hardly ever listens to [him] when [he says] something” (9*). Thus, the young teenager suggests that the rest of society cannot identify with 'Holden Caulfield'; a sentiment that Caulfield indeed implies throughout the novel.

Teenagers need Stability
Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye, emphasises that adolescence is a period of physical and psychological instability. Holden Caulfield may display some of the expected teenage behaviours but what he needed mostly was to be grounded in the stability of the family home.

Sources:
Elkind, David. “Understanding the Young Adolescent.” Adolescence, vol. XIII, No. 49, Libro Publishers, Inc. New York. Spring, 1978.
Salinger, J.D. The Catcher In The Rye. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books Ltd., 1951.
Salinger, J.D. The Catcher In The Rye. Wrights Lane, London: Penguin Books Ltd., 1994.
References with * refer to the 1994 edition of The Catcher in the Rye. References without * refer to the 1951 version.

First published  Feb 17, 2011 by Lesley Lanir on Suite101
Copyright Lesley Lanir. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.

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