Do you like Holden? Or do you think he's an idiot? And what does that say about you?
Framing The Catcher in the Rye through a psychologist's lens may help in understanding your reaction to this controversial classic and shed light on your personality.
Holden imagines himself in a field of rye where children are playing and feels an urge to protect them from falling over a cliff. Entertain for the moment that the field of rye represents Holden's feelings of codependency, an excessive preoccupation with the needs of others, as in the urge to protect the innocent and vulnerable.
Foreshadowed by his repeatedly expressed concern for the ducks in Central Park, Holden announces to Phoebe that he wants to be a "catcher in the rye." Similar behavior reappears in the final scene when he's in tears, sitting in the rain in his red "people hunting hat" watching Phoebe ride the carousel with "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" playing in the background.
A narcissist could care less about protecting others, vulnerable or otherwise. Narcissists are incapable of empathy. A character like Holden would seem ridiculous, even repellent. The narcissist might feel more attracted to characters like Ayn Rand's John Gault.
I read somewhere that ninety-six percent of the world's population have codependent tendencies. This could help explain the vast popularity of the book while a few readers are repelled.
(Lest I get torched for accusing people of being codependent or narcissistic, lets be clear that this is a mental exercise intended only to deepen understanding of a book. Only you, or your therapist, know your behavioral tendencies.)
