Rich Mehan 8-27-08
Theology

Is Holden Caulfield a Person of Faith?

Holden Caulfield did not have faith or believe and trust in most people. He had faith only in a rare few.

Holden Caulfield encountered many phonies, or people that aren’t really who they appear to be, in his journey. He always knew there was something fake about them, and he therefore didn’t believe in them. To believe in someone or something is a very important quality in having faith. To be a person of faith Holden should trust and believe in people and accept them into his life the way they are. They should not have to be who Holden’s ideal of a real person. He however rejects his friends at school and his friends in the city because he said they are fake when really he is the one who is fake. If Holden cannot have faith or trust and believe in himself then he cannot do the same for others. Holden can not see though his own views to start believing in others. In failing school, he can’t have faith in himself, until he meets some nuns at a city diner.

Holden becomes a more faithful person as his journey moves on. Holden at first does not trust the nuns, but he then experiences a metanoia, a sudden change of the mind and heart, and talks to them. He eventually ends up giving them ten dollars and realizes they are not phony and he trusts and believes in them. Near the end of the book, he eventually meets up with his sister. He does not even hint for a second that he doesn’t believe and trust a hundred percent in his sister. He has faith in her and by discovering this he finds the faith in himself. By the end of his journey, Holden becomes a person of faith.