Holden, Hans, and Alienation: Salinger and Böll’s portrayal of angst-ridden rebels

J. D. Salinger and Heinrich Böll, both acclaimed modernist writers of Western Literature, had a great fascination with rebels. In a number of their works, the two novelists have portrayed an array of alienated, rebellious characters who despise the prevalent values of their society and refuse to conform to them. These protagonists, however, have no alternative system of principles to attach themselves to, and all they manage to do is harbor a bitter hatred towards society. These circumstances give rise to a stinging feeling of alienation in the said characters, whose angst and unhappiness are heightened to an acute state due to their knowledge of the incorrigibility of thefaults of society as well as their ultimate need for the very people they loath. Hans Schnier and Holden Caulfield, the heroes featuring respectively in Heinrich Böll’s the Clown and J. D. Salinger’s the Catcher in the Rye, are perfect examples of these dually-alienated, angst-ridden characters. In this paper, we will discuss the similarities between the two characters, as well as the literary techniques both Salinger and Böll have employed to portray their rebellious youth.

Keywords:

Western literature” , “character analysis” , “rebel” , ”innocence” , ”sin” , ”angst” , ”society” , ”alienation” , ”isolation” , ”childhood” , ”adulthood” , ”values”