Tuesday, August 26, 2014

In The Catcher in the Rye, is the main character Holden Caufield an antihero?

Literary terms dictionaries define an antihero as "a
protagonist who is a non-hero or the anti-thesis of a traditional hero."  Generally
speaking, a hero protagonist would be intelligent, strong, courageous, and independent. 
It is quite clear that Holden does not encompass these qualities; he is more of a lazy,
dependent, unlucky character who would never be considered a hero or role model in any
sense of the term.  Since Holden does have so many internal and external forces that are
countering his character, it does seem, however, that he is the novel's protagonist. 
Linking all of these elements together, it does seem that Holden is an
antihero.

No comments:

Post a Comment

What accomplishments did Bill Clinton have as president?

Of course, Bill Clinton's presidency will be most clearly remembered for the fact that he was only the second president ever...