مشخصات پژوهش

Jerome David Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye (1951) is one of the influential novels of the twentieth century that depicts the life and mentality of society in the 1940s and 1950s. In this period all Western societies were under the socio-economic impact of World War II and its backlashes which haunted them even long after the war ended. The virtues and traditions which were long regarded the cornerstones of societies failed their people. Societies were replete with hollowness and lack of identity. By that time, many theorists had attempted to introduce theories that could define the human condition and help them come to terms with it. Among these theories, psychoanalysis aimed to help humans with an understanding of their peculiar and complex psyches. Psychoanalysis is a school of thought consisted of psychological theories and therapeutic approaches to the human psyche. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) first introduced it. Freud introduced the most debated concepts of “unconsciousness” and “self” in psychoanalysis. At that time, the internal forces were believed to influence and control them. The main aim of Freudian psychoanalysis is to study the psyche of human beings and discover hidden aspects of their minds. This thesis argues that the “unconsciousness” and “self” affects the main character of Salinger’s novel in his struggles for his recognition of socio-psychological concepts, specifically “Identity” and “self”. In addition, it intends to analyze the multiple roles the concepts (“identity” and “self”) play in the story and the ways in which Holden Cofield copes with them in order to achieve a better sense of them and an insight into his life. This study also argues that the suggested psychological elements in Holden’s experiences form his personality in his quest to find himself. Besides, they reveal the hidden motives behind his actions and decisions, which define his true character, namely his (“self”) and “identity”.