The Catcher in the Rye - 2

2) What are the causes, gains, and losses of the conflict dealt with in this book?


Before dealing with the causes, gains, and losses of a conflict, one must find a conflict.  Deciphering the true conflict of this novel was difficult, because the book was so passively written.  There are small conflicts between characters, such as fights between Caulfield and Stradlater, but I found that the real conflict was between Holden and himself (Salinger 44).  This conflict was purely mental and emotional.  I eventually decided that the conflict in Holden was a simple question directed towards himself: What do I want?
Through the entire book, Caulfield never knows exactly what he is searching for, or where he is going.  His personality varies between immature child to charismatic, intellectual bachelor. As this behavior develops, things become more unclear to him.  Eventually, he finds himself confused and disoriented with hardly a thing to his name in a number of days (Salinger 178).  Although he does not think much of it due to his often apathetic personality, I considered this his rock-bottom state.  I think somewhere in his mind, he knows something is not right.  He knows that there is something that needs more attention then he does, which is causing his apathy to himself.
Caulfield didn't gain much from the conflict, besides a lot of experiences to think through.  So many things happen to him in only a few days, he does not really have time to think about them.  He is only able to keep moving until he understands how to solve his problem.  He gains knowledge, in a way, but that is really all.
Unfortunately, the losses of this conflict outweigh the gains.  Through the conflict, Holden loses his admission in Pencey, he loses a lot of money, some pride, and a lot of blood (Salinger 103).  
Because of his apathy towards education, he failed everything but English.  Obviously, they didn't want someone like that attending classes in their high-class programs.  He is apparently loaded with "dough" at the beginning of the story, and throughout the book, that slowly goes down the drain.  He spends all of his money on cabs, coffee, music and prostitutes (not the best investments).  He makes a fool of himself quite a lot during the few days that he is independent, and he gets into quite a few quarrels as well (Salinger 103).  All of these things are done for the sake of answering himself a question.


Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1991