Theme Of Anxiety In Catcher In The Rye

In Catcher In The Rye, by J.D. Salinger, the main character, Holden, exhibits existential anxiety while trying to connect with others, but ultimately failing. Existential anxiety occurs when one begins to question their purpose in life, which often leads to the path of self-hate. The path of self-compassion is achieved through breath, awareness, acknowledgement, acceptance, action, and appreciation. The path of self-hate occurs when people cannot accept themselves for who they are and when they cannot accept responsibility, blaming others for everything. Holden’s judging and isolating behavior demonstrated in the novel causes him to be stuck on the path of self-hate. Holden, attempting to manage his existential anxiety, moves from the path

This can be seen when Holden comes back from his fencing team’s trip to New York. He says “I left all the foils and equipment and stuff on the goddam subway. It wasn’t my fault” (Salinger 3). Holden continuously makes excuses for what he does, not admitting that leaving the “equipment” on the “goddam subway” was his fault, and therefore not living up to his ideal self. By not accepting responsibility, there is no clear path for self-improvement or growth, which does not allow him to manage his existential anxiety in a positive way. Along with not admitting his mistakes, he isolates himself from society by not reaching out to anyone. This is shown through the fact that when he is in the phone booth he wants to call someone but “ended up not calling anyone” (Salinger 53). This shows his isolation from society because he does not have strong relationships with friends or family, which is needed to get to the path of self-compassion. Holden does not reach out to people because he is afraid of getting rejected. This fear of rejection causes him to not be able to connect with anyone, making him stuck on the path of self-hate. Additionally, he judges everyone around him while believing he does nothing wrong. When he is at a