Jermaine Lamarr Cole, American hip-hop artist and record producer, better known as J. Cole, once said, “Love isn’t complicated, people are.” Love is often unexpected, and many times catches people off guard. Love itself does not complicate situations, but rather the human reaction to the idea of love provokes chaotic circumstances. For Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, he finds himself struggling to understand the concept of love. As various women figures appear in his life, Caulfield, unknowingly and immaturely, acts upon his feelings of love. As a 16 year-old kicked out of yet another prestigious private school, Holden roams the streets of New York City to avoid the lectures awaiting at home. He …show more content…
Holden’s relationship with Jane Gallagher exhibits the adversity to face the possibility of rejection. While attempting to find methods to waste his time, Holden considers to call Jane Gallagher, his former neighbor of whom he respects and finds attractive. He thoroughly develops a plan to pose as someone else if anyone but Jane answers his call. After much consideration, Caulfield abandons the idea claiming that he, “... wasn’t in the mood” (63). Throughout the beginning of the novel, it is apparent that Holden has feelings toward his old neighbor, and perhaps he may even be in love with her. However, Caulfield masks his love for Jane with various excuses to conceal his cowardness. The idea of love presents itself within the relationship of Holden and Jane. Caulfield, unfortunately unable to react to his feelings toward Gallagher, responds cowardly to prevent the possibility of having to face any form of rejection. By protecting himself from rejection, Holden displays his conflict to accept and understand the concept of …show more content…
Holden’s relationship with Sunny suggests the difficulty to establish maturity alikeness in relationships. Once again searching for distractions, Holden arranges for Sunny, a motel prostitute, to entertain him. Upon Sunny’s arrival into his motel room, Holden anxiously confesses that he has a change of heart, and no longer wants to entertained. He continues to add that he does not feel like he is in the right state of mind for such activities (96). Although throughout the novel Holden portrays a cocky persona, it is clear that, in actuality, he is not emotionally or sexually mature. To say nothing of, the success of a relationship tends to trace back to maturity. He seeks to justify his actions and his sudden change of mind; however, Caulfield’s uneasiness when it comes to his and Sunny’s relationship prevails over his excuses, and instead he presents himself as immature. Holden opts to decline the fact of his emotional and sexual immaturity, ultimately, conveying his difficulty to comprehend the idea of