Holden Caulfield: A True Hero

A hero is defined as someone who is brave, noble, and has outstanding qualities. Holden Caulfield was all of these things, but only in his own mind. Holden always thought he was doing the right thing. Holden was tragic. He was utterly confused about all his feelings, and didn't know how to handle his developing emotions. All the destructive things he did, he justified with his own reasons.

He wanted to protect the people that he felt needed protection. For example Jane Gallagher was his childhood friend, whom he developed an overwhelming love for. He felt as though he needed to protect her from other males who wanted something that wasn't innocent from her. As soon as Stradlater returned from his date with Jane, Holden became angry and questioned

him. He wanted to know if they had sex, and Stradlater was hinting at that they did. Holden became overwhelmed with anger. Holden said “What’d you do? Give her the time in Ed Banky’s goddam car? My voice was shaking something awful.” He wanted to protect Jane so much that he was willing to fight his roommate, but he couldn’t because he wasn’t brave enough to stand up to him.
Holden wanted to protect his little sister, Phoebe from all the bad in the world, but he couldn't. When Holden snuck into his own house, he needed money and Phoebe offered to give him her christmas money.
"Wait a second, take the rest of your dough, too." I started giving her the rest of the dough she'd lent me."
"You keep it.

Keep it for me," she said. Then she said right afterward,"Please."That's depressing, when somebody says "please" to you. I mean if it's Phoebe or somebody. That depressed the hell out of me. But I put the dough back in my pocket.” Holden became so depressed by this encounter because he wanted to be the provider and helper to his sister, but she had to help him. He felt as though he couldn't be her hero. At the end of the novel, Holden says he wanted to hit Phoebe. He isn’t noble, he can hardly control his own emotions.

In every story the hero is always truthful. Holden is not. He admits to being a pathological liar. “I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful. If I'm on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I'm going, I'm liable to say I'm going to the opera. It's terrible.” He acts respectful to adults, but is lying the whole time. He lies to Mrs. Murrow on the train ride home. He asks her to get a drink with him even though he is underage and she is married. Holden lies for fun, mostly because I believe he doesn't fully comprehend that lying this much could get him into

trouble.
Holden wants to be everyone's hero. He dreams of being the catcher in the rye. The person that would save all the children from falling off the deep end, because no one saved him from doing exactly that. Holden is the opposite of a hero. The hero is supposed to keep their cool, be kind to everyone, and save someone. Holden does none of this. He has breakdowns many times, and has a quick temper. He can’t control his emotions. He is disrespectful to everyone, except a rare few. Lastly, Holden definitely does not save anyone. At the end of the book Holden is saved by being put into the rest home. He was the one who needed a hero, he wasn't stable enough to be one.