The Catcher in the Rye - Question 2

One major conflict in The Catcher in the Rye is the struggle Holden has to keep himself away from home until the right time so he does not have to face the wrath of his parents right away. Now, since that run-on sentence/conflict has been stated, I do believe it is time to dig deeper into the problem Holden faces.

The cause of the conflict itself is simple. Holden flunks four out of his five classes at Pencey Prep (Salinger 10) and in return is kicked out of the school. He ultimately imposes the conflict on himself. If Holden would try harder in his classes, he would have grades that showed for it. But because of his lazy behavior, he has to find a place something to do until he can return home. To suffice his boredom, Holden checks into a swanky New York City Hotel where his adventures in the Big Apple begin.

While staying in the hotel, Holden treats himself to a dance with three tourist girls (Salinger 70). The same night, he stumbles on an encounter with a prostitute, who in the end stabs him in the back (figuratively) and gets Holden beat up (not figuratively) (Salinger 103). Holden gains from his night on the town a personal realization of himself. He realizes that he is going to have to simply deal with “phonies” all of his life. Everyone is not going to be the way Holden wants them to be, and he learns to get over it. His experiences in New York City help him comprehend this important life lesson.

Along with losing an opportunity at a great scholarly future at Pencey Prep, Holden ends up losing almost all of his money while in New York. He figures that his “dough” is enough to keep him sufficed on his journey. “I don’t remember exactly how much I had, but I was pretty loaded. My grandmother’d just sent me a wad about a week before,” (Salinger 52). Much to his disbelief, Holden almost runs completely out of his money because he spends it on various things in the city. To keep himself entertained, Holden frequently offered to buy drinks for people. In one instance, he asks a taxi driver, who is a complete stranger, to stop in and have drinks with him (Salinger 82). In the end, Holden may be clever when it comes to deceiving his parents, but he was not clever enough to handle his money efficiently.

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and, 1991. Print.