Different perpectives of hero and the search for the self in The Catcher in the Rye

Literary world has been accustomed to have mighty and supreme heroes since the ancient times, while the concept of anti-hero is relatively new and different from the former. A lot have been written about and contemplated on heroes when it is compared to anti-heroes about which it is more difficult to find a research or criticism. Exploring the depths of an anti-hero with a psychoanalytic approach would be more contributive and innovative, in this sense. In this study, it is intended to make a psychoanalytic reading on a different type of hero by chiefly circling around the anti-hero of The Catcher in the Rye which is a milestone in American literature by J.D. Salinger, who is one of the pioneers of his time in terms of putting a new brick in the wall by contributing this new point of view about the concept of hero. This thesis mainly focuses on the protagonist of this book, Holden Caulfield who could be considered as an anti-hero stereotype and specifically his inner search for his self. By dealing with the psychological development and the inner journey of the main character of the book, this study also aims to shed light to the psychological development of Holden Caulfield. How he leads himself to a state of mind which is eventually causes a kind of alienation from society is examined and this alienation's self-destructive outcomes on his very self —which he is yearning to find and make meaningful— are tried to be portrayed.