The Catcher in the Rye #4

The hero in the Catcher in the Rye is obviously the main character, Holden. Holden is considered the hero but he is also a very unconventional hero. Most heroes are probably not as screwed up as Holden seems to be. But Holden still shares many traits are a regular hero. In general, a hero has to go on a journey to find something out about a person, object, or themselves. Holden's journey is a mental one, about the hardships of growing up. Another trait that is common in heroes, is a traumatic event leading to a journey (Davis 3). As I said earlier, Holden goes on a journey through out most of the book, but before he does, he receives some bad news. Holden finds out that he is failing four courses at Pencey. After he hears this knowledge, with some indirect pushing from his roommate, Stradlater, Holden leaves school several days before Christmas break is supposed to start.There he starts his journey throughout the city.

Like most heroes, Holden has a strong sense of family. You can tell by the way Holden describes his younger sister Phoebe, his older brother, D.B., and his younger brother Allie. His younger brother Allie died when he was little, but you can tell that Holden still adores him by the way he talks about him. "God, he was a nice kid, though. He used to laugh so hard at something he thought of at the dinner table that he just about fell off his chair" (Salinger 38). Holden even takes an old baseball mitt that Allie had written poems on to his boarding school. Throughout the novel, when Holden seems lost, he always returns to the thought of seeing or even just talking to his sister, Phoebe. Phoebe seems that the only person that is able to keep Holden grounded in his own thoughts. Also Holden seems to idolize D.B. in the way that Holden always talks about his success from being a writer in Hollywood. 

Davis, Bryan M. "The Archetypal Hero in Literature, Religion, Movies, and Popular Culture." 11 Oct 1997. Stephan F. Austin University. 31 May 2012. <http://www.tatsbox.com/hero>.

 Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print.