88: Holden Caulfield
Created by J. D. Salinger for the shoft story “Are You Banging Your Head Against a Wall?”
First Appearace: 1941
Well, I learned something, today. Totally lived my whole life under the impression that Salinger created this well-known character for his most well-known work, “The Catcher in the Rye” but I guess that’s not the case. No, he utilized the guy a number of times prior to the events that happened in that book, usually submitted for publication in The New Yorker (though they found the works of fiction surrounding Holden to be far too “desolate” to publish, most of the time). Many of the works found their way – though heavily edited – into the novel in one fashion or another, but he was born a full decade prior to his mass reveal to the world. Curious.
The thing I like about this fact, though, it that Holden himself would be pissed about it. He hates “phonies” with every fiber of his being and, as such, would despise the fact that everyone in the world “loves” the book he’s in, but know nothing of his origins. He is the ultimate “knew about it before it was cool” kind of being, having had numerous morose adventures prior to the events that transpire at Pencey Prep, but being one of the few to be aware of them. His abhorance for those that surround would only intensify if he knew of why he was famous and popular, and why people know about him at all, really.
Of course, to speak of the novel that everyone is aware of is simple and without need for great levels of detail. Everyone has either read “Catcher” or know about the so-called vulgarity of it all. And its true, Holden’s narration, while highly verbose and seemingly originating from a very intelligent source, is disparaging and filthy. But I’m not speaking about my Top 100 Works of Fiction (which would be a list far too complex to even fathom), so I won’t delve into that business, here. Instead, I’ll comment on why I like Holden so much, though – in a sense – I already have.
The tragic nature of Mr. Caulfield is that he, himself, is the thing he hates: a phony, of sorts. Particularly in his own declarations regarding his intelligence levels. While he proclaims that he is “dumb”, his language, ability to suss out reason in things, and the way he carries himself in social settings showcases an intellect that is higher than average. Though he elects to utilize this in the most profane of ways (particularly when it comes to word choice and timing), his creative spark in conversation alone makes him out to be much smarter than he presents himself. Even if/when his evaluations of the events he finds himself in could be viewed as “wrong” (though that is, obviously, subjective, a primary example of this being his sudden attitude shift toward a certain prostitute upon finding out about her profession), his reasoning, always well-narrated and clearly thought-out, is solid and, in its own way, infallible. That is the beuty of this character.
He also showcases two traits that I love in characters: loyalty and respect. Both of these take Holden to a slightly sinister place, of course, with his favorite teacher, but they are core values that earn him points as far as depth of character is concerned. With me, at least. You can have a character that is despicable, nasty, mean, and without remorse, but that doesn’t make them interesting. Here, though, Holden is made human by giving him redeeming qualities. Even if he chooses to use them in ways we might not agree with, or see as totally loyal or respectful, he views them as such, and that’s what makes the difference.
Favorite Portrayal:
Even though I have now read through a few of Salinger’s short stories about Holden and his entire family, I still have to give proper credit to “Catcher in the Rye” for not only being a stellar book, but also to Salinger himself for not allowing anyone to sully it all up by making a film version during his lifetime. Props. But now that he’s dead, what’s keeping Jason Scwartzman from playing this guy, already?
Favorite Quote:
“All morons hate it when you call them morons.”
Favorite Moment:
Poor, poor Holden gets his ass handed to him for simply wanting to talk to Sunny, a prostitute. And when he has the chance to make it up to her pimp, not only does he get robbed, but Maurice (the pimp in question) further beats his ass down. Any wonder why Holden thinks poorly of most people?
Added September 7, 2016
I re-learned that info about previous Holden stories, re-reading this post. Huh. Also, I love that Dexter dig in the middle and that Aaron had nothing nice to say about it.
Also, found that dog picture and almost spit my coffee out, so its staying.
skylerbartels 
