Barely Holden On
J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye features Holden Caulfield as its protagonist. From the moment of his expulsion from Pencey, Holden spirals into a downward mental decline. One of his most defining traits is his willingness to become a martyr—sacrificing himself to uphold his values and idolizing self-destruction as a means of achieving moral victory. The first instance of this is his fight with Stradlater. Despite Stradlater practically begging Holden to stop calling him a “phony” and a “moron,” Holden persists, refusing to back down even when he is physically harmed. Holden is furious that Stradlater—a shallow and insincere figure—does not appreciate Jane Gallagher the way he does. While Holden treasures small, intimate details about Jane, such as how she keeps her kings in the back row when playing checkers, Stradlater sees her as just another conquest in the prep school dating scene. This infuriates Holden, leading him to provoke Stradlater despite knowing he will be overpower...