James Castle's Effect on Holden

In this blog post I want to delve into the connection between Holden and James Castle. We started to unpack how important this was during class, but I feel like there is even more to be said. In retrospect, Holden almost looks up to James for his commitment to his morals and seems [almost] remorseful that he can’t/won’t commit to his beliefs to the same extent. James embodies the anti-prep-culture, anti-phony spirit that Holden strives to attain, and we see Holden recounting his story like that of a martyr; someone who died for the cause. When talking about James in the room with the other boys Holden narrates that “he still wouldn’t take it back, old James Castle. And you should’ve seen him,” (Salinger 170). When reading I feel like there is almost a sense of awe/admiration from Holden to James. 

I wonder how much of himself Holden sees projected in James. Not only does Holden think they think similarly, James was literally wearing Holden’s clothes when he died. I didn’t recognize the full extent of that image for Holden the first read through, but upon reflection it is incredibly horrifying. Holden, who throughout the book ranges from slightly to very depressed and even suicidal is exposed to a boy, presumably a boy who looked pretty similar to him, around his age, wearing his sweater, dead in the yard of his school as a result of a confrontation that Holden could easily imagine himself in.  He’s confronted with the fact that someone died in protest of the things he hates, and this confrontation feels even more critical given his own occasional willingness to die.  Holden would love to prove himself and his resolve to the type of people who were harassing James, so this feels like a version of how he could end up, made physical and dropped right in front of him.

    There are even more parallels between Holden and James throughout the story. It feels significant to me that Mr. Antolini was the one that moved James’ body. Holden has a deep personal relationship with Mr. Antolini, and Mr. Antolini is the one he interacts with in a time of what feels like a crisis. (I guess Holden and Mr. Antolini’s relationship is affected by James’ death, but I feel like it’s still a valid comparison.) Holden also has the same refusal to back down on his principles as James. We see this in the utter beatdowns he takes from Stradlater and Maurice. With Stradlater, he could have ended the whole ordeal by not provoking him. For example, after multiple warnings Stradlater says, “For the last time. If you don’t keep your yap shut-,” followed by Holden calling Stradlater a moron and detailing his lack of ability to converse intelligently, after which Stradlater pins him to the ground once again (Salinger 44). It was a similar situation with Maurice; Holden could have avoided any physical harm by giving up $5, but he chose his hill and he wouldn’t back down. This is, of course, similar to James’ steadfast-ness. Holden tells the story like he could have ended the confrontation just by taking back what he said, but instead James avoided backing down at all costs. 

    The final thing to note is that setting aside the many similarities of Holden and James, James’ death is important formative trauma for Holden. This isn’t something Holden consciously recognizes; he doesn’t even mention it to us until chapter 22. But I think James plays a huge huge role in Holden’s need to cling to innocence and his inability to grow up and let go. 

Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Little, Brown and Company, 1991.