Patrick Probst

Junior Theology/Faith

August 23, 2006
Holden Caulfield: A Man of Faith
In the book Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is a man of faith. Although Holden doesn’t necessarily have faith in a particular religion he does have faith in Phoebe, his abilities, and himself.

Holden’s younger sister Phoebe means everything to him. Throughout the entire book Holden repeatedly longs to contact her or meet her when he is in New York City. Holden has so much faith in Phoebe he comes over to their house when he is supposed to be in school. He talks with Phoebe about his school situation and his adventure in the crowded city. They have such a tight knit relationship that Phoebe doesn’t tell her parents about Holden getting kicked out of school. Believing in her so much, Holden writes her a fake note and gets her out of school so that they can spend time together before he runs away. Again she leaves school and meets him at the museum knowing that she needs to support Holden because of his faith in her.

Holden’s faith not only extends to Phoebe, but to all children. In the book Holden is trapped between his childhood and adulthood. He gravitates towards children because he has faith in them. He knows that they won’t sneer at him like the people Holden meets at the bar, ignore him like his friend from school does, or treat him unfairly like the pimp in his hotel. Holden feels comfortable around the kids. He talks to the children in the museum and even helps them find the right exhibit.

Near the end of the book Holden realizes that he has survived his journey through New York City. He begins to have faith in himself as a result of enduring his time in the adult world. At this point he decides to become not only an adult and leave his childhood behind, but he vows to be a catcher in the rye, helping children when they are experiencing the dilemma that he was in.

During Holden’s journey he uses his faith in Phoebe, children, and himself, to grow as a human being and arise from his childhood into an adult.