The Catcher in the Rye, by JD Salinger, is not just the story of a teenager who goes through trials and complained a lot. This is truly a story about growing up, where you, as the reader, learn more about yourself and how you see others. JD Salinger uses Holden Caulfield as a sort of bridge that teaches us about human nature, feelings and difficult times. JD Salinger did this very well because Holden is such a unique character, but nonetheless we can all relate to him in one way or another. In this essay/analysis, I will review some of the underlying themes of the novel, which make it more than just a story about a kid in New York. Painful experience versus numbness. Perhaps the strongest theme of the novel concerns the relationship between the physical pain of real experience and the painful feeling of one's feelings. After Allie's death, Holden closes its doors. This forces him to lose all connection with people because he never wants to cause anyone pain again. He repeatedly mentions how important it is not to get attached to anyone, as this will lead to their demise once they are gone. By the end of the novel, he has descended so far into this theory that he is even afraid to talk to anyone. Phoebe is perhaps the only reminder that Holden still has the capacity to love. When he looks at her, he can't help but feel the same love he felt for Allie. However, the impulses of these feelings leave him even more helpless. He knows he should leave Phoebe to protect himself and his beliefs, but when she shows up to join him on his journey, he ultimately puts his love for her first and sacrifices his own flight instinct to return home. degree he is... middle of paper ... that maybe he still has some emotions left. At the same time, Holden takes some steps to alleviate his loneliness. Every time he feels the need to meet someone, call a girl, have a social experience, he ends up sabotaging it before anyone gets hurt. He thus protects himself in such a way that he can effectively exclude any possibility of relieving his own loneliness. He might want to call Jane, for example, but hangs up before she answers the phone. He might want to sleep with a prostitute to feel human comfort, but he's just trying to have a conversation with her. He might want to interact with friends at a bar, but he ends up saying something hurtful and they end up abandoning them. Pushing them away provides deeper and deeper loneliness, but he is able to cope with this slight loneliness in order to avoid the ultimate loneliness of another death..