Essay on Gender Roles in Cathcher in the Rye

In today's world gender is a very open topic; many struggle to break free from the stereotypical gender roles in fear of being disregarded and unaccepted by society. In the 1950s the gender norms were much harsher and very conservative. In the novel Catcher in the Rye by J. D Salinger   Holden’s rejection of society’s views of what it means to be a man prevents him from growing up; Holden’s experience suggests that our sense of “adulthood” is so wrapped up in gender norms that one cannot come of age without subscribing to gender norms.

Holden rejects what his teachers and school have taught him about what it means to be a man. Holden Caulfield is a 16 year old teenager that had just gotten kicked out of an all-boys boarding school due to him failing four out of five  of his classes. The school that Holden goes to is named Pencey Prep. Holden feels disgust towards Pencey, claiming that everyone there is phony. Pencey’s motto is that they have been shaping fine men since 1888. Pencey was all about turning boys into society's ideal version of men. Holden finds this highly inaccurate, stating that “They don't do a damn more molding at pencey then they do at any other school. And I didn't know anybody there that was splendid and clear thinking at all. Maybe two guys. If that many. And they probably came to pencey that way”(4). Holden claims that his school didn't actually shape students into so-called “perfect men”. Most students were lousy and phony to begin with. Holden doesn't want to be like the other boys because he finds the way they act disgusting. When Holden went out on a date with Sally he was talking about his school experience at pencey and he say “You oughta go to an all boys school sometime… its full of phonies, and all you do is study so that you can learn enough to  be smart enough to be able to buy a god damn cadilac some day… and all you do is talk about girls and liqur and sex all day, and everybody sticks together is these dirty little god damn cliques”(170). Holden is afraid to end up as one of those men. He doesn't want to follow traditional stereotypes in  fear of becoming seen as phony. Holden wants Sally to know the reality of what is going on in school and not what the school presents itself to be. Holden doesn't want to learn just to fulfill society's expectations

Holden rejects what other boys show him is “normal” in a romantic or sexual relationship. The world Holden is growing up in is a very conservative and strict place. There is no room for anything that challenges or strays from standard behavior. Men are supposed to get married to women and take care of the household's financial needs. In this society women are view as no more than objects that can be picked up and thrown out at any time. Holden Caulfield takes a different approach to relationships and how he views them. Holden finds it peculiar on how guys treat women and says that   “The thing is, most of the time when you're coming pretty close to doing it with a girl--a girl that isn't a prostitute or anything, I mean--she keeps telling you to stop. The trouble with me is, I stop. Most guys don't. The trouble is, I get to feeling sorry for them” (120). Unlike most men, Holden manages to hold back and respect women's boundaries. Holden says that “most guys dont stop” meaning that it was normal for this to happen and that they did not necessarily care for consent from the other party. Holden's view on men in relationships is that men are either a villain to women, or they are a savior to them. Holden considers himself a hero for being able “to stop”. This is a big deal to him because  the way men are supposed to treat women is like they are house ornaments. ‌When Holden hires a  prostitute, he immediately refuses to have sex with her saying that he was to depressed to think. Holden believes that you need to like the person you're making out with . He says that  “I think if you don't really like a girl, you shouldn't horse around with her at all …. It's really too bad that so much crumby stuff is a lot of fun sometimes” (81). Holden sees sex as an important thing that should be done by a man and a woman that are in love. Since holden comes from a boys bordering school, he does not have much knowledge about the opposite sex and how to treat them. When Holden was sitting at a table, he sees this couple discussing some things. Holden sees that  “His date kept saying to him, "How horrible... Don't, darling. Please, don't. Not here." Imagine giving somebody a feel and telling them about a guy committing suicide at the same time! They killed me”(112). The man is not respecting the girl's boundaries, and using her like an object because that is how men are supposed to behave and treat women. That kind of behavior was not only accepted but expected . Holden views this as disgusting, that the man doesn't care about the girl's opinion and completely ignores her pleas to stop. holden doesn't understand why the dude is mentioning someone committing suicide while trying to make out with someone

Holden strays away from expectations for how “grown up” men are supposed to behave. Holden Caulfield constantly is being told that he needs to mature and “man up “ by getting a job when he is older. When Holden was on the date with Sally,  Holden kept on bringing up the idea that the two of them should run away together into the woods so they wouldn't have to deal with people's standards. Sally refuses that idea,  telling Holden that he would need a job first. This leads to Holden saying“I said no, there wouldn’t be marvelous places to go to after I went to college and all. Open your ears. It’d be entirely different. We’d have to go downstairs in elevators with suitcases and stuff. We’d have to phone up everybody and tell ‘em good-by and send ‘em postcards from hotels and all. And I’d be working in some office, making a lot of dough, riding to work in cabs and Madison Avenue buses, and reading newspapers… C'mon, let’s get outta here” (173). Holdens immediate rejection to the idea of living the “ideal” life shows that he is resistant to wanting to do adult things like “have to phone up everybody and tell ‘em good-by and send ‘em postcards from hotels and all” holden finds that having the need to have an “adult” conversation and being required to fit the basic masculine role by “working in some office” is really restricting.  Holden thinks that if he ran away from New York he would be free from society's norms. He would not have to fit a certain mold on what he should behave like or how he should fit in. He believes that he could break away from those harsh restrictions that have been placed on him for being born a male. While Holden was with Phoebe, the topic of a job was brought up again. She suggested that Holden become a lawyer like their father or a scientist;  Holden is refusing to get a job like that in fear of being phony. Holden says “ Even if you did go around saving guys’ lives and all, how would you know if you did it because you really wanted to save guys’ lives, or because you did it because what you really wanted to do was be a terrific lawyer, with everybody slapping you on the back and congratulating you in court when the goddam trial was over, the reporters and everybody, the way it is in the dirty movies? How would you know you weren’t being a phony? The trouble is, you  wouldn’t”(224). Holden dislikes the exceptions to just fit in and get to work and make money and support your family and all that boring stuff. Holden mentions that getting a job and faking everything is “the way it is in the dirty movies' ' implying that it isn't just the people around him that are supporting the stereotype of men and how they need to make money and get a job. Holden uses the word “dirty” when talking about it in order to show that he doesn't like the idea of fitting the mold.

Although Holden is breaking the mold for gender stereotypes, he is unable to grow up.  When Mr Spencer and Holden were talking, Mr Spencer gives holden some advice saying “Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules”(12). Holden’s  is giving him clear advice on how to  fit in but Holden refuses this advice by thinking “ game my ass. some games. If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then it's a game, all right—I'll admit that. But if you get on the other side, where there aren't any hot-shots, then what's a game about it?”(12) Although holden  was given advice on how to be able to be accepted and how to make a name for himself and where he currently lives holden  continues to reject it holden is constantly refusing to fit in to how a man is supposed to behave Preventing him from growing up in his society Since it the society is very gender-based and there's not much room for a change in how people react. If Holden accepted the gender roles he was given it would be a lot easier for him to become accepted into society and  therefore would be able to allow him to grow up and become more mature and get a job. Holdens attempts at breaking the traditional mold will not allow him to have a successful future. Holdens need to have control over what he is allowed to act like is also preventing him from being happy, since holden is strongly refusing gender norms and is ostracized from society.