What are the themes of The Catcher in the Rye?

This position holds that mental illness is a central theme of The Catcher in the Rye. It argues the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, suffers from real mental-health struggles—reading his depression and recurring questions, like where the ducks go in winter, as signs of his distress.

This position holds that death is an overarching theme of The Catcher in the Rye. It argues the novel is shaped by Holden Caulfield's grief over his brother Allie's death and by his own dark, suicidal thoughts, which colour his troubled view of the world around him.

This position holds that innocence and childhood are the central theme of The Catcher in the Rye. It argues that Holden spends the novel trying to protect the innocence of those around him — embodied in figures like his sister Phoebe and Jane Gallagher — and to resist growing up.

This position holds that sexuality is a central theme of The Catcher in the Rye. It points to Holden Caulfield's confused relationship with sex — his encounter with a prostitute, the unsettling episode with Mr Antolini — as evidence the novel is, in part, about sexual coming of age.

This position holds that morality is a central theme of The Catcher in the Rye. It argues that Holden Caulfield is constantly preoccupied with the morality of those around him, condemning the adult world as full of 'phonies' and pervasive hypocrisy.