Existentialism in Catcher in the Rye

Existentialism in Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye creates an existentialist out of Holden

Caulfield by giving him a strong personal opinion, a different sense of

view, and isolation. Holden's individuality and his different way of

thinking creates within him an Existentialist that refuses to accept

weakness but holds sympathy for the weak and vulnerable. The basis for

these beliefs lies within the most commonly identifiable theme of

existentialism, which states that the philosophy stresses the concrete

individual existence along with the individual freedom and choice. It also

stands on the idea of moral individualism, in which one must choose his own

way without the aid of universal, objective standards. His views also

coincide with those of many famous people who have shared the same ideas,

including Pascal, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche. The Catcher in the Rye

demonstrates existentialism by having the main character, Holden Caulfield,

isolate himself from a world full of "p...