The purpose of this research is to provide an in-depth analysis of Holden Caulfield, the adolescent protagonist of J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. This analysis of characterization will include, first, a brief summary of the book, then considerations of Holden’s ego functioning, his ability to sustain meaningful relationships, the impact of the social environment on his personality, evidence of psychopathology in Holden’s character, and the roots of his dysfunctioning.

A brief summary of Catcher in the Rye gives us an idea of the psychological turbulence into which Salinger has placed his adolescent character.

Holden Caulfield flunks out of Pencey Prep in Pennsylvania, and begins a remarkably distressing journey to New York, to the house of his parents. The trip is a mixture of nightmare and …