Existentialism in Catcher in the Rye Essays -- Catcher Rye Essays

Existentialism in Catcher in the Rye The Catcher in the Rye creates an existentialist out of Holden Caulfield by giving him a strong personal opinion, a different sense of view, and isolation. Holden's individuality and his different way of thinking creates within him an Existentialist that refuses to accept weakness but holds sympathy for the weak and vulnerable. The basis for these beliefs lies within the most commonly identifiable theme of existentialism, which states that the philosophy stresses the concrete individual existence along with the individual freedom and choice. It also stands on the idea of moral individualism, in which one must choose his own way without the aid of universal, objective standards. His views also coincide with those of many famous people who have shared the same ideas, including Pascal, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche. The Catcher in the Rye demonstrates existentialism by having the main character, Holden Caulfield, isolate himself from a world full of "p...