Holden Caulfield and J. Alfred Prufrock - Passive Protagonists

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, a first-person narrative about a cynical teenager trekking through New York, mirrors T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” While each narrator deals with his own set of issues, both are alike in their indifference towards solving their problems. Holden and Prufrock have deprecatory self-perceptions, which are evident in their passivity, as each mopes around in the hopes that the complications of life will mysteriously resolve themselves. Holden Caulfield’s hopeless romantic situation and his inability to fulfill his aspiration of being the “Catcher in the Rye” resembles Prufrock’s failure to talk to the woman he loves and his melancholic end. Both narrators are alienated anti-heroes whose ends are a reflection of their cynicism and passivity. 

            Holden references his love interest throughout his story, but she never actually appears in the novel. He constantly mentions Jane, recounting their past interactions and wondering if he should call and ask about her. He remarks that “you don’t always have to get too sexy to get to know a girl” (Salinger 86). Nevertheless, he does not even see her, let alone “get sexy” with her. Holden’s continual inability to reach out to Jane despite his feelings is a signal of his passivity and indecision. He is protective of her and wants to shield her from the evil clasps of other men, but does not bother to ask her out himself. Like Holden, Prufrock seems to be chasing after a woman, whom he presents as his love-interest. However, his social anxiety and neurotic, deprecatory remarks reveal that he will do nothing about it. When he describes seeing his lover, he writes of his own lavish attire, but with an underlying fear that his clothes are concealing inadequacies such as his “bald spot” and “[thin] arms and legs” (Eliot 40, 44). Prufrock has no hope of being understood by others and imagines people pointing out his flaws in order to justify shying away from social interactions. He constantly wonders “Do I dare?” but decides to do nothing. The reasoning for his inaction is that he is “no prophet” and  “not Prince Hamlet” (84, 111). Although he is the protagonist, he labels himself as the Polonius of his own story. Both Prufrock and Holden Caulfield could have had significantly better endings, had they done something other than fantasize about their lovers and ponder their existential crises. 

            Holden and Prufrock’s stories have dismal ends because they fail to achieve their goals. Holden wants to protect the innocence of children by acting as the “Catcher in the Rye.” The only role he envisions for himself, catching children before they fall off the cliff of innocence, is impossible. He wants to preserve the purity of every child he sees, which is unachievable and leaves him feeling void. His perfect view of childhood and distorted view of the adult world as entirely “phony” makes him depressed. Similarly, Prufrock’s social paralysis follows from his pessimistic understanding of people. While the title of the poem is “Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” his monologue is not a love song, but rather a critique of the people he observes. He is a passive spectator who speaks of visits and parties, but doesn’t interact with any of the partygoers. According to the title, his goal is romance, but his tone is that of an outsider who watches the action unfold around him. While the titles of both stories imply some kind of resolution – a heroic catcher in the rye or a confession of love – the protagonists fail to live up to expectations and let fear control their lives. Action is discussed as a mere possibility in the future or as something done in the past, but the idea of it occurring in the present is inconceivable.

            Holden Caulfield and J. Alfred Prufrock, in their respective expressions of ennui, represent anti-heroes whose anxiety and social paralysis stop them from finding love or achieving their goals. Both characters attempt to watch from the sidelines while the rest of the world experiences life. Their reliance on what others think and their critical self-perception lead them to shy away from any significant events. Both characters have great ambitions hidden within the depth of their fantasies, but have too much of an inferiority complex to believe that they can do anything about it. The protagonists consistently decide not to do things, which reduces them to the sullen characters represented in their stories.