Analyze a Character in a Novel

Holden Caulfield is a complex character in J.D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye. He is a troubled teenager who struggles to find his place in society. He is a representation of adolescent disillusionment, and his struggles with identity, innocence and maturity are central themes of the novel. He is an anti-hero, whose behavior, though sometimes rash and immature, is also sympathetic and understandable. Through Holden, the novel examines the idea of the conflict between innocence and adulthood, and the importance of preserving innocence in a world of hypocrisy and phoniness.