Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye as a novel of initiation rite

Abstract

This thesis explores a character’s journey from innocence to experience in Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye applying Bildungsroman perspective. This paper studies how the protagonist of the novel, Holden Caulfield, faces difficulties in his adolescence life due to his innocence, lack of proper guidance and knowledge. After gaining some experience from his innocent life and mistakes, he becomes an intelligent person. This thesis also analyzes two days in the life of the protagonist of the novel, Holden after he has been ejected from the school. Being muddled and disappointed, he searches for the reality and escapes the “phoniness” of the adult society. He ends up exhausted and emotionally unstable. This thesis studies how Holden develops maturity through his foolish acts in different levels: physical, mental, psychological and social. The way he gets changed throughout his entire life, from his earlier life to later life, represents an individual’s journey from innocence to maturity. This thesis applies the critical insights ofJ. H. Buckley’s Season of Youth: The Bildungsroman from Dickens to Golding, George Oliver’s Hist ory of I nit iat ion in Twelve Lectures and Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Facesas theoretical parameters to analyze the primary text. This thesis attempts to justify that Holden's all activities represent Bildungsroman features of the novel since the novel deals with the journey of a character’s personal development.