Was Holden Caulfield a Person of Faith?
Nick Bomar
Jr. Theology/Faith
8/22/07
Was Holden Caulfield a Person of Faith?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, faith is defined as “ allegiance or duty to a person”.
Throughout the book, Holden always felt like he had a duty to his little sister because she was alone
without an older sibling in her life. That is why the communicated by letter so much because he wanted
to check on her. Also he actually went and stopped by his house to talk to his sister. Holden was
practically obsessed with her because that was all he talked about when he was with her. Holden
constantly in his mind was complementing her whenever he saw her in person. She was the little sister
he had always dreamed about. She was the whole reason Holden did not run away to California. She
wanted to go with him and told him that if he went that she would have to go or she was going to run
away herself. Holden figured that he was setting a bad example so he decided in the end to just stay.
Holden has been severely changed by all of his trials and tribulations throughout his youth. They have
changed him so drastically, that the only person that he loves or is able to love because of his very
sarcastic approach towards life is his little sister. Holden has virtually no friends and the only friends he
does have, he criticizes. This is why Phoebe is so important. Holden worships his goddess Phoebe at all
possible times any minute he is presented with the opportunity to pay homage to the temple of Phoebe.
Phoebe is his only true love in life.
Also, Holden has a duty to himself in order to feel like he is valuable in this world that Holden has
so learned to hate. Holden always thought negatively of himself because of the way that the majority of
the people in the world have treated him. That was the reason he was going to attempt to run away
because he wanted to get away from everything and everyone that reminded him of himself. In a sense,
he was trying to escape himself but inevitably failed because he realized fulfilling his duty to himself
would force him to fail in his quest to make his sister happy. In the end, by letting go of his ambitions
to make himself happy and to offer his trials and tribulations up to someone else who cared about him
more than he could ever imagine, Holden Caulfield finds himself happier than he could have ever done
if he was alone in California dodging all of the problems of his life.
For once in Holden’s life, he put faith in something bigger than himself and decided someone who
cares deeply for him was more important than his goals ever were. For these reasons, I strongly believe
that Holden Caulfield was a person of faith.
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