Catcher in the Rye In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, many people either relate closely to Holden, or do not relate to Holden at all. People call him a hero, a victim, and in some cases “something else”. Holden is a victim of society, which is a prospect to just about anyone; however, it is easy to tell he is also a strong hero.
Throughout the book, he shows compassion to people he cares about –which is not many people – and is willing to save them if needed. To do anything for the ones he loves, and there is nothing to inhibit him from going any length to protect them. This is especially strong for children, where his agenda is to save their innocence and. Holden feels strongly about preserving the childhood innocence and preventing children from growing into adults: “What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start going over the cliff –I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out and catch them” (Salinger 173). All Holden wants to do is catch the children; Holden desires to save these blameless kids from the harsh world of adulthood and is willing to sustain repulsive consequences.
Another instance of Holden being a hero is when he is in Phoebe’s school and sees unruly actions: “Somebody’s written the word ‘Fuck you’ on the wall. It drove me damn near crazy. I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see it and they’d wonder what the hell it meant” (Salinger 201). He then