Catcher in the Rye- Hero

In the book Catcher in the Rye, the author makes it very obvious that the hero is Holden. I think that Holden is the hero for many reasons, but one of the main reasons is because he is the main character. Holden is very afraid of change and he prefers a life that is very predictable. In one scene from this book we learn about the way Holden views life and change. In this scene, Holden is at the Museum of Natural History and he is admiring the statues of the Indians and the Eskimos. While he is admiring these statues, he is thinking to himself about how these statues never change and how they are so predictable. He wishes he could live in a world where things never change and where things were always the same, like life is for the Indians and the Eskimos. He thinks about how no matter how many times you go visit the Indians and the Eskimos, they are always the same. You are the one who has changed, you have grow up and matured. You have not only changed physically, but you have also changed emotionally. Holden has a fear of change that prevents him from moving forward in his life. I think that Holden is the hero because even though he has a fear of growing up he still tries to push forward and make his life the best he can. Holden does not fit the profile of a normal hero because he does not save the day or defeat the villain, but I think that he still does some pretty amazing things. I think that Holden is so negative to the world because he does not want to grow up and become an adult, so he thinks that if he secludes himself enough he wont have to. I think that the author does not do anything crazy to make Holden seem like the hero in this book, but I think that only makes him seem more heroic.

Bibliography

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 2001. Print.