Abstract:Holden Caulfield, the protagonist in the novel The Catcher in the Rye, left school and loafed or wandered on the streets of New York. His wandering experience reflected the pathologic feature of American society. In such a society, inspirations were lacking, morality was ruined, and even the whole cultural system was twisted or distorted. Under such circumstances, people desired or needed understanding and communication. According to the analysis of Holden’s wandering experience in New York, and the people he met, this dissertation tries to diagnose the cause of the moral panic and the distorted culture of America. In 1950s, not long after the World War II, the American society suffered from the process of “Ruin-Recovery-Reformation”. During this process, the economy was booming, the urbanization was developing rapidly, and there was a severe collision with the traditional concept or ideas. Under the impact and influence of the medium on the younger generation, the ideas of the old generation were considered out-of-date, and were never suitable to educate the younger generation. Consequently, the problem of moral panic and the disaster of the distortion of the American culture derived from a mass of hypocritical people striking for a luxurious life.
Key Words: Holden Caulfield; American society; Cultural system; Moral panic; Hypocritical
摘要:《麦田守望者》的主人公霍尔顿离开学校，流浪纽约街头的经历展示了美国社会的病理特征：社会毫无生气，道德沦丧，甚至整个文化体系出现扭曲与危机，人们需要理解，渴求沟通。本文以霍尔顿的流浪经历为线索，以他在流浪中遇到的人和事为主要分析对象，诊断美国社会的道德恐慌和美国文化的扭曲的根由。上世纪50年代，第二次世界大战刚结束不久，美国的社会经历了“创伤——修复——改造”的过程。在这段过程中，经济高速增长，城市化发展加快，人们的观念受到强烈的冲击。老一辈的观念已经不再适合教育年青一代，年青一代受到媒体的极大影响，但是媒体所宣扬的观念又是将传统文化扭曲。最后，人们变得“虚伪”，注重享乐，从而出现了一场群体性的道德恐慌和文化灾难。
关键词：霍尔顿；美国社会；文化体系；道德恐慌；虚伪
