Existentialism in Catcher in the Rye Essays -- Catcher Rye Essays

Existentialism in Catcher in the Rye         The Catcher in the Rye creates an existentialist out of Holden Caulfield by giving him a strong personal opinion, a different sense of view, and isolation.  Holdens one-on-oneity and his different way of thinking creates within him an Existentialist that refuses to accept impuissance but holds sympathy for the weak and vulnerable.  The basis for these beliefs lies within the most commonly identifiable theme of existentialism, which states that the philosophy stresses the concrete individual existence along with the individual freedom and choice.  It also stands on the idea of moral individualism, in which one must choose his own way without the aid of universal, objective standards.  His views also concord with those of many famous people who have shared the same ideas, including Pascal, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche. The Catcher in the Rye demonstrates existentialism by having the main charac ter, Holden Caulfield, isolate himself from a domain full of p...