The Catcher in the Rye - Question 2

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

There are many smaller conflicts that are dealt with in this story, but mainly one big conflict. Sure, Holden doesn't have a place to stay, he got kicked out of boarding school, but the main conflict is that Holden really doesn't know where he fits in. This is a problem that is faced by so many teenagers today, and people won't know how hard it is until they read this story. Holden tried to fit in at his prep school, but obviously that didn't work out so well. He didn't really have any "real" friends, and he failed out of all of his classes (except English, oddly) and he was expelled. Holden narrated the story, and he would have never told anyone this, but from the way his character was developed, I can imagine that when he was expelled from prep school, he was sad. To him, it was just another person that didn't want him. Holden still didn't have anywhere to belong.

So then he went to New York for a while to see if he could fit in there. He stayed in a hotel for a while, tried to go on a few dates, even got a prostitute to come see him in his hotel (yet another sign that Holden was very lonely, he didn't want to do "prostitute things" with her, he just wanted to talk). Even the city life left Holden lonely and unsatisfied, and he eventually left the city to go to his home, the one place where every person should fit in.

Earlier in the story, the reader was informed that Holden's brother died a few years ago, but he did still have a sister that he said nothing but good things about. When they met up, it really seemed like Holden had finally found his place. But once again, things happened and Holden wanted to run away. His sister was able to talk him out of it, but when the story ends, Holden is in therapy for his "sickness." The entire story tells of a boy who simply cannot fit in, and it is a truly saddening story. Who knows what the causes were, maybe his personality just wasn't friendly enough. Holden also makes a comment that he regretted telling the story because it reminded him of all the friends he had made and lost, so he at least gained temporary friendship from some people.

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 2001. Print.