Holden Caulfield Humor

Humor in The Catcher in the Rye
In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caufield attempts to protect himself from his impending adulthood by visiting New York to escape his fate. The novel follows Holden as he travels New York City in order to get away from his responsibilities of going to school. Holden suffers throughout the novel, from feeling irritated by the “phonies” at Pency Prep, to being beaten up, and even contemplating suicide, but yet he perseveres. Holden lets the reader know his deep thoughts, and gives the reader his frank opinion on life. In his many adventures in the city, Holden’s innocence gets the best of him, as he attempts to casually chat with a prostitute, or when he tries to strike a conversation with an

unfriendly taxi driver.

Salinger writes with a humorous, sarcastic tone throughout the novel, causing a sharp contrast with the traumatic events Holden endures. Salinger uses humor to portray Holden’s woes in a light-hearted way, a childish way, in order to express that Holden is not fully an adult. Holden’s main fault is his fear of change, which causes him to react to certain situations unusually. The novel’s humor also stems from Holden’s ability, or lack thereof, to act appropriately in public settings. Salinger created Holden as a sarcastic, innocent teenager whose wild actions and ironic situations mirror his unpredictable mind, using humor to tell the story of the human condition in the vulnerable emotional state of adolescence, to make Holden seem more real and relatable.
Salinger’s use of humor is evident from the beginning of the novel, as Holden sarcastically refuses to talk about his early childhood. With the opening lines of “If you really want to hear about it [his childhood]…but I don’t feel like going into it” (1), Holden comes across as an arrogant teenager. Holden’s character is an exaggeration, or hyperbole, or a teenager’s life. Teenagers are transitioning to becoming adults, and while they don’t

exactly go through Holden’s situations, they still question themselves and experience awkward moments. The novel’s humor also stems from the unpredictability of Holden himself. The Catcher in the Rye is anything but straightforward, as the storyline weaves through every bar, hotel and date that Holden goes on. Holden’s bizarre behavior is evident when he strikes up a conversation with two nuns, and then tells the reader that he does not like Catholics. The conversations that occur in the novel are the main source for comedy, because of Holden chooses to behave. From childishly annoying Stradlater about his date or calling a prostitute so that he would not be lonely, Holden’s actions are borderline ridiculous. His naivety is only further explored through these actions, and the end result of these events is hilarious, being beaten up because he is unaware of his juvenile ways. Salinger sets the humorous tone by creating Holden as an unpredictable character, one who is not ready for the outside world. What makes Holden witty is his ability to interpret his sorrows with a different perspective. Rather than confronting his parents about his expulsion, he devises a plan to move to Massachusetts with Sally in hopes of starting a new life. As expected, his farfetched plan makes Sally upset and he is embarrassed for even thinking of such an idea. Holden is able to admit his behavior when he says: “I swear to God I’m a madman” (149). This revelation shows that Holden’s humor extends beyond his cynicism of people, but also to himself.
Salinger uses irony to create humorous tone of the novel and make Holden a developed and fascinating character.

Irony is a big part of the novel, and Holden is the victim of dramatic irony. Holden’s idea of a phony is someone who is not genuine and fake because they want to seem appealing to the public, rather than being themselves. However, in a twist, Holden is the real phony, as he is hypocritical and fails to see his true image. When he takes Sally to the movies, he admits that he does not really like her. He is clearly being a phony to her, because he is not telling her the truth. Holden also uses verbal irony that makes him seem phonier. When he meets up with Luce at the bar, he engages in a conversation about women. Holden, who has not had sex, exclaims: “I regard [sex] as a physical and spiritual experience…it depends on who the hell I’m doing it with” (162). The humor behind Holden’s phoniness is apparent throughout the novel, as he constantly reminds the reader of his hypocritical attitude. With reminders to the reader that he is a “tough guy”, Holden is adding to his ironic idea that everyone around him is a phony. When examining the novel, irony is the main source of humor and makes Holden a more fallible character; a teenage boy confused about

life.
The use of humor in The Catcher in the Rye contributes to the overall meaning of the novel because Holden’s misadventures create a real and relatable story. Salinger’s tone is effective because he is able to make Holden more personal. Holden does not come across as an epic hero, but a character with flaws and fears. An otherwise dark tragedy, the novel becomes a Bildungsroman that has elements of humor in order to appear more genuine and authentic of a real life situation. It was important for Salinger to create a teenage character that embodied aspects of typical teenagers; sarcastic, emotional, confused and capable of having aspirations. While most teenagers have ordinary aspirations, Holden has an interesting desire to be the “catcher in the rye”. Holden expresses his desire to Phoebe when he explains: “I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all…I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff…I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff” (191). His desire is fueled by his unwillingness to become an adult, and he creates this fantasy world that he wants to live in. Holden’s outrageous ambition is both comedic and heartfelt, as the reader can infer that Holden will never be able to achieve that goal. The humor in the novel helps Holden seem synonymous with everyday teenagers, which is why the book is so successful.
Salinger’s use of humor as the tone of the novel allows Holden to become more realistic and appealing to the audience. Irony demonstrates the imperfections of Holden as a confused adolescent that fails to see the faults of his own actions. Holden’s conversations with adults create humorous moments due to Holden’s inability to have a logical or rational conversation. Salinger’s choice to include humor within the dark events of the novel is in order to keep the reader entertained and enthralled with Holden’s many misadventures. The tone of humor in the novel is essential to the success of the novel itself, as Holden becomes an exaggerated example of a confused adolescent in a big world.