Holden Caufields Negativity Towards Women
Uploaded by Slickest Nicca on Sep 20, 2006
Catcher in the Rye- Essay
Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D Salinger interacts with different kinds of females throughout his travels. He has normal adolescent thoughts of having sexual relations, like calling for a hooker or calling a women who is a stripper. He is also quite shallow which is apparent on his date with Sally or the blonde in the Lavender Room. He also has little respect for some women who have different ideals than him. He has no respect for Sally which is discernible when he ridicules her and makes her cry. Though he disrespects Sally, Holden greatly respects his sister Phoebe and Jane Gallagher. Holden Caulfield’s views and attitudes concerning women differ according to the type of women he is interacting with at that particular time.
Holden’s shallowness is evident in a few accounts throughout the novel. When Holden goes to the club in the hotel where he is staying, he starts flirting with three women. They are older than Holden but he dances with all three of them and feels he is “half in love” with the blonde because of her looks and great dancing ability. Another instance that portrays his shallowness is when he makes a date with Sally Hayes. He thinks she is phony and somewhat annoying; the only way he can stand her is because she has great looks. The quote that most greatly emphasizes Holden’s shallowness is when he says he feels sorry for ugly girls they have to be kinder and have a better attitude than pretty girls.
Holden is also normal in one sense because he ponders about having sexual relations. He views some girls as objects he can use to have sex with. In New York he calls a women named Faith, who is a hooker. He got her number from a friend who told him to call if he wanted a good time. He thinks he can persuade her into having sex with him. He also talks about almost having sex, but something is always going wrong. He says he wants to know as much as he can because he is always messing up. This is why he gets a prostitute. After leaving Pencey, he goes to New York and gets a hooker at the hotel where he is staying . At first, Holden likes the idea of having sex with a hooker so...