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Analysis of Binary Opposite Personalities of Holden in The Catcher in the Rye
WU Yue-qin, ZHANG Xiao-yan
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DOI:10.17265/2159-5836/2025.04.003
School of Foreign Languages, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China
The protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden, is a classic and complex character which has binary opposite personalities. By means of employing Nietzsche’s aesthetic theory of the Apollonian spirit and Dionysian spirit, Holden’s personalities will be analyzed in this paper. As for his exterior ambivalent attitudes, he is considered as an honest liar and an obedient rebel; while as for his interior two-sided personalities, he can be seen as a brave coward, a childish mature and a cynical caring people. To gain an insight into the main courses of the Apollonian and Dionysian Holden, several important factors will be listed, thus, a new perspective and thinking for the study of The Catcher in the Rye will be recommended.
The Catcher in the Rye, Holden, Binary opposite personalities, Apollonian spirit, Dionysian spirit
Journal of Literature and Art Studies, April 2025, Vol. 15, No. 4, 281-285
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