JD Salinger's Catcher in the Rye

Since its original publication in 1951, JD Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye" has generated its fair share of controversy, in many cases being banned from libraries and classrooms (Pinsker, 1999). However, the book and its main character, Holden Caulfield, have been very popular in high school libraries and classrooms in the years since the book was published because of the focus of the book on the experience of the individual's teenage years and the specific experiences of Caulfield as the main character. This paper will look at one of the most interesting aspects of Caulfield- his acting as his own worst enemy.
Who is Holden Caulfield?

Before anyone can understand how Holden Caulfield acts as his own worst enemy, it is vital to understand who he appears as to an outsider looking at him. Caulfield is a young man who finds himself confused by, and mad at, the world around him. This anger and confusion results in many bad elements in his life- by the time JD Salinger introduces the readers of "The Catcher in the Rye" to Caulfield, he has already failed his way through four schools, worried himself to the point of exhaustion, and has ended up in a kind of mental hospital because of his exhaustion and strange behavior (Bloom, 1990). It is because of these and other situations that will be explained later in this paper that Caulfield can be called his own worst enemy.
Holden Caulfield as His Own Worst Enemy

Caulfield has seen his share of problems and failures which can explain why he can be seen as his own worst enemy, but there are factors in Caulfield's attitude and mind that caused the things that happened in his life in many cases and turned him into his own worst enemy.