Holden Needs More Positive Friends

Holden Needs More Positive Friends

The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is book about a distraught teenager who decides to drop out of Pencey Prep, his current boarding school. Instead of letting his parents know he dropped out, he chooses to roam aimlessly throughout New York City for three days. The traumas from his past shaped him into a troubled teen who refuses to think about his future and obsesses over the innocence in life. He struggles in his transition from child to adult. His lack of physical health and mental health forces him to end up in an institution. It is obvious that if Holden had positive friends, he would have been able to better handle the troubles that he faces.

Throughout the book it becomes clear that the absence of positive friends has affected Holden. For example, while he is still at Pencey, Holden and Stradlater get into an argument over Jane and Stradlater’s date. Holden provokes Stradlater to hit him by calling him a “dirty stinking moron” (44). Holden says to the reader, “Then he really let one go on me, and the next thing I knew I was on the goddamn floor again” (45). When Stradlater hits Holden, it becomes clear to the reader that their friendship was unhealthy. Later in the story, Holden arrives at Penn Station. He longs to call someone so he spends twenty minutes deciding who to call. Holden tells the reader, “So I ended up not calling anybody” (59). The reader begins to realize that Holden yearns to have friends that he can depend and enjoy their company. In another situation, Holden feels lonely so he calls Carl Luce to meet him at a bar. Holden states characteristics about Luce that he finds annoying. When Luce leaves abruptly after a few drinks, Holden says, “Old Luce. He was strictly a pain in the ass” (149). In this instance, it shows how Holden does not really enjoy his friends. It becomes apparent that Holden and Luce’s friendship was phony. The reader can see that Holden’s friendships are unhealthy and detrimental.

Research has shown that those who have positive friends are more competent to handle the troubles they face in their lives. According to an article published by Mayo Health Clinic, friends can help one endure traumas such as the death of a loved one. The feeling of belonging and having a purpose is improved when one has friends (“Friendships”). Research related to the benefits of friends has been published by the

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