... to have protected them and caught them in the rye like the children, he doesn't want them to have grown up. In this way at least he is defining himself by his own actions, and has developed into if nothing else the catcher in the rye and an existentialist. This novel is not one of overt Existentialism like "The Childhood of a Leader-, I have no idea of Salinger's philosophical orientation, but it is implicit ... that Holden is capable of freely making many different choices and only when made can he learn about himself. "The Dead- exhibits the fewest existential ... ...

• Word Count: 1213
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate