One of the most debated aspects of JD Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is whether or not Holden is a victim of sexual abuse. Holden specifically mentions that “kinky stuff” has happened to him “about twenty times,” but it’s hard to tell if he’s exaggerating or not, especially since the alleged unfolding sexual incident with Mr. Antolini is extremely ambiguous to the reader. (The fact that Holden may or may not be narrating from a mental institution certainly doesn’t clear things up.)
Perhaps the strongest evidence to support the idea that Holden has been abused is his catch-22 philosophy about sex: On the one hand, Holden doesn’t want to “get sexy” with anyone he cares about because he feels sex is inherently demeaning, but on the other hand, she doesn’t feel like you should sleep with someone you don’t respect. Suffice to say, Holden isn’t having much success with the ladies at this point in his life.
This conflictive attitude manifests itself repeatedly throughout the novel. Just think of Holden’s annoying blonde dance partner who can barely hold a conversation because she’s too busy looking for celebrities. Holden repeatedly complains that she “was really a jerk”, but then can’t help but “half fall in love with her at the time”. [they] sat down.” The cause? His incredible dance moves. That’s right: Holden can’t resist the girl whose “cute little butt moved so well and everything.” We think of Holden as a thoughtful and sensitive young lead.
The obvious reading of the incident is that Holden can’t help but be physically attracted to his dance partner despite his superficial stupidity. However, another much more interesting read is that Holden finds it easier to objectify her because he doesn’t respect (according to her philosophy) hers. This may seem nit-picky, especially considering this is a seventeen-year-old man we’re talking about here, but let’s compare this incident to Jane Gallagher’s various descriptions of Holden.
Arguably the most important of all the other Catcher in the Rye characters, Jane Gallagher is Holden’s childhood crush. Although she never appears to us in the flesh, we learn the following things about her: a) she plays golf; b) she practices ballet for two hours every day; c) when she plays checkers, she always keeps her kings on the back row; d) she has an awesome red sweater; e) he is very good at holding her hand; and f) she has a strained relationship with her stepfather. In this list you will not find: g) any description of Jane’s butt, nervous or not.
However, you will find that: h) if Holden suspects that you have forcibly approached Jane, he will punch you “right in the toothbrush” to open your “damn throat”. In other words, he would prefer that you keep a respectful distance. The closest thing to a steamy description of Jane that you’ll find in The Catcher in the Rye is this: “She was a little slack-jawed. I mean when she was talking and getting excited about something, her mouth looked in about fifty directions, her lips and everything. That killed me. Sweet? Definitely! Hot? Not even close.
Out of the blue, Holden announces that Jane has a “fabulous figure”, but only as an afterthought of her hobbies, quirks, personality, and crooked mouth. In fact, and this is where it gets interesting, Holden only mentions her body in relation to the possibility that her stepfather is abusing her. Holden explains, “She was pretty young, but she had a fabulous figure, and I wouldn’t have missed that bastard Cudahy.” Right, as if her physical attractiveness was somehow to blame for the pedophilia.
The insanity of this statement demonstrates just how much guilt Holden harbors toward all things sexual: in his mind, finding someone sexually attractive isn’t that far from actual sexual abuse, and may actually be its catalyst. This brings us back to Holden’s original assumption that sexual gratification is inextricably linked with sexual objectification. Such a dark attitude towards someone so young definitely speaks to the possibility that Holden has a painful sexual past.