Essay - How does Salinger create a protagonist that we can empathize with?
In the novel Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is the main protagonist. Salinger has created the character Holden for the purpose that the audience can relate and empathize with him. Salinger creates the idea of empathy through various events in the novel with the first one being in Chapter 1 at the school game which was meant to be a big event as it was the last game of the year, and Holden is shown to be sitting on Thomsen hill far up away from the school field. This implies that Holden is a solitary character and dislikes his school as he doesn't consider it to be a big deal. Through his attitude, this introduces the theme of loneliness as the reader straight away will understand that Holden is a lonely character who does not like to socialise very much and does not think highly of his school or the people in it. This will relate to the audience as everyone knows how many teenagers despise going to school and dislike the majority of the people they meet during their school phase and experience.
Another way in which Salinger creates a protagonist that readers can empathize with is through the view of Holden in regards to his school friends. This is shown in chapter 1 page 3, as Holden describes an event where he mistakenly leaves the fencing equipment on the subway, and gets the silent treatment from his team. 'the whole team ostracized me the whole way back on the train. It was pretty funny in a way', this implies that Holden is not popular amongst other students and does not care what they think about him. This suggests that Holden has reached a stage where he no longer cares what people say or think about him which creates the idea that he prefers to be alone. This creates a sense of empathy as the reader will assume that Holden is not popular in his school which is a common issue amongst many teenagers as they tend to feel out of place.
Salinger also creates empathy through the use of other characters such as Selma Thurmer who is the headmasters daughter who also is not very popular in school. Holden is shown to empathise with Selma which implies that he too is in a similar position to her as he describes her as a weird character who perhaps does not fit in with other students and at the end says 'but you felt sorry for her'. This tells us that Holden despite being a cold and sarcastic character does sympathise with people who are in a similar position to him. This creates awareness for the theme of loneliness as Holden seeks companionship in characters such as Selma who too is a similar character to Holden.
Another way in which Salinger creates a protagonist that readers can empathize with is through the view of Holden in regards to his school friends. This is shown in chapter 1 page 3, as Holden describes an event where he mistakenly leaves the fencing equipment on the subway, and gets the silent treatment from his team. 'the whole team ostracized me the whole way back on the train. It was pretty funny in a way', this implies that Holden is not popular amongst other students and does not care what they think about him. This suggests that Holden has reached a stage where he no longer cares what people say or think about him which creates the idea that he prefers to be alone. This creates a sense of empathy as the reader will assume that Holden is not popular in his school which is a common issue amongst many teenagers as they tend to feel out of place.
Salinger also creates empathy through the use of other characters such as Selma Thurmer who is the headmasters daughter who also is not very popular in school. Holden is shown to empathise with Selma which implies that he too is in a similar position to her as he describes her as a weird character who perhaps does not fit in with other students and at the end says 'but you felt sorry for her'. This tells us that Holden despite being a cold and sarcastic character does sympathise with people who are in a similar position to him. This creates awareness for the theme of loneliness as Holden seeks companionship in characters such as Selma who too is a similar character to Holden.