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Holden Caulfield Conformity Analysis

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After the WWII, America’s economy boomed causing its population to increase. The increase in the population led to many suburban homes each with a family containing many children. The ideal life goals were to go to school, get a job, get married, buy a suburban house, and have kids. The whole idea was to get more American to achieve a middle class status to buy products, such as the television, which was the latest craze, to help the economy. J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye troubled character Holden Caulfield goes against “culture of conformity” social standards. Holden Caulfield represents a growing discontent with 1950 America’s “culture of conformity” because he is rejecting going to a good school, seeing girls only for marriage, and not wanting to fit in. First, most Americans want to go to an ivy league school, but Holden Caulfield rejects going to an Ivy league. In chapter twelve of The Catcher in the Rye, Caulfield is at a nightclub called Ernie’s where he makes a lot of observations and overhears some conversations. He says “On my right there was this very Joe Yale-looking guy, in a gray flannel suit and one of those flitty-looking Tattersall vests. All those …show more content…

In chapter six of Catcher in the Rye, he said “I told him he thought he could give the time to anybody he felt like. I told him he didn’t even care if a girl kept all her kings in the back row or not, and the reason he didn't care was because he was a goddam stupid moron.” Caulfield does not see Jane for her beauty, but because of who she is, and what she does, and how they connect with one another. He then continues by saying “You don't even know if her first name is Jane or Jean, ya goddam moron!" During this period going on a date was the first step before marriage, which was an American standard. When Stradlater started dating Jane, Caulfield was upset because he felt Stradlater was just dating her to fit in with American

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