Money, Money, Money, MONEY

Throughout the course of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden speaks about money. He talks about how money is not a source of happiness, but often times a source of depression and anxiety. Holden states, "money...always ends up making you blue as hell" (Salinger,113). Holden clearly states throughout the course of the novel that he does not care if people have money or not. He also states that he does not like people to know whether he is rich or poor. He doesn't want people to like him for his money, but he wants people to like him for his personality. Holden has learned throughout his life that  people who spend all of their time thinking about their money and trying to impress people with it often end up alone or surrounds by those who do not like them for who they are, rather for how much money they have. Holden has also learned not to judge people for how much money they have. For example, in the novel Holden's roommate becomes self-conscious and concerned about what Holden will think about him because he does not have an expensive suitcase. Rather than judging his roommate, Holden basis his view on his roommate by the way he acts, not because of the quality of his luggage. Just as in The Catcher in the Rye, many people in our society today are too concerned with money and the amount of money that they have. I believe that Salinger was trying to set an example for society when he wrote this novel. I believe that he wants everyone to think of money in the way that Holden does and to care about people based on their personalities, not by the amount of money that they have. I believe that if everyone did had the same views as Holden the world would be a much better place to live in.