Abstract: The Catcher in the Rye is the famous representative work of American writer J. D. Salinger. The novel uses the first person point of view, narrating the story from a perspective of a teenage boy, making use of the realism writing to vividly and precisely unveil a middle class child’s confused and anguished as well as wandering spiritual world. Through the phenomena of Holden’s weird behaviors, with the application of psychoanalyst Alfred Adler’s inferiority complex theory, this paper is to explore the real inner world of Holden: he is a typical person who possesses inferiority complex, and the underlying reason for Holden’s inferiority complex can be traced back to his personality contradictions and imbalance caused by the imbalance among family, school as well as society.
Key words: Inferiority complex; Spiritual demand; Personality; Characteristic
Contents
Abstract
中文摘要
1. Introduction 1
1.1 Introduction of J. D. Salinger and His Novels1
1.2 Introduction of Alfred Adler and His Theory . 2
2. The Origins of Holdens’ Inferiority Complex3
2.1 Parents’ Indifference.3
2.2 Schools’ Hypocrisy.5
2.3 Society’s Phoniness6
3. Manifestations of Holdens’ Inferiority Complex7
3.1 The Internal Manifestations .8
3.2 The External Manifestations.10
4. Holden’s Transcendence of His Inferiority Complex.13
4.1 Holden’s Compromise: Returning to Reality.13
4.2 Holden’s Rebirth: Gaining a New Self .15
5. Conclusion17
References19
