Holden Caulfield Coming Of Age

Despite the great diversity among human beings, there are a variety universal experiences that all share. One such process is aging. This brings to mind the question: Does everyone experience aging in the same way? One way of exploring this is to look at one’s coming of age, compared to that of others. An enduring example of this comes in the form of J.D Salinger’s 1951 novel, the Catcher in the Rye. The novel’s protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is a teenager who many view as a symbol of adolescence. He has his own unique set of struggles, which include a fear of growing up, and the desire for acceptance and to connect with others. These issues, among others, have led to Holden’s story being an enduring example of a coming of age. Holden’s growth

This concept of the Catcher in the Rye comes from a fantasy of Holden’s where there are “…all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye…And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff… I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff” (Salinger 224). The cliff is often considered to be the edge of innocence, meaning that if the children were to fall they would lose their innocence. Although the field is imaginary, Holden acts to protect innocence in similar way in the real world. Holden is disgusted upon seeing “fuck you” written on the wall his younger sister’s school, believing that, in a way, it will serve to corrupt the innocence of the children there. This leads to him rubbing out the word only to find another carved into the wall. He wants to rub it off too, but he realizes “…It wouldn’t come off. It’s hopeless anyway. If you had a million years to do it in, you couldn’t rub out even half the ‘Fuck you’ signs in the world” (Salinger 262). This final statement that he cannot rub-out all the “fuck you signs” in the world is critical. In this moment Holden is accepting the reality of the world. He becomes aware that the children cannot be kept from the cliff forever. Eventually they will grow-up, leaving his field of rye just

Holden loves Phoebe and thinks of her often, one such instance being where he buys her a record that he thinks she will like. Unfortunately, he drops this record before he can give it to her—shattering it. Holden explains this to her and is surprised by her response: “’Gimme the pieces,’ she said. ‘I’m saving them.’ She took them right out of my hand and then put them in the drawer…” (Salinger 212) One way to read this scene is to see the record as representative Holden, just as broken and damaged as he feels. By accepting the pieces, regardless of the fact they do not function, she is accepting Holden in his current state. This contrasts the way many others treat Holden. They are constantly reminding him of his inadequacies, trying to change him, saying he must apply himself in school and think about the future. Another object that is somewhat representative of Holden is a red hunting hat that he only wears when he thinks others will not see him. It seems to give him confidence, despite his being embarrassed by the look of the hat. In Holden’s final scene with Phoebe, he notes that she “…all of a sudden she gave me a kiss. Then she…reached in my coat pocket and took out my red hunting hat and put it on my head” (Salinger 274). Both the kiss and giving him the hat