Holden Caulfield's Childhood

Tom Stoppard once said, “If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older.” Childhood is hard to let go of and becoming a mature adult is also challenging. But dwelling in the past does not make growing up easier. In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield, the main narrator of the book, has issues with childhood and adulthood. He shows these issues by telling readers his thoughts and memories from the past. He makes it clear throughout the book that he does not want change. Holden is stuck between entering the adult world and staying with being a child that he has been for so long. Although Holden is 16, he still acts and thinks like a child. An example of this is when after Maurice, an angry pimp,

An example is when Holden finishes talking to Old Spencer, his history teacher at Pencey Prep, he says to the readers, “I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life” (Salinger 16). This shows how Holden did not really care for what Old Spencer was saying to him because he said he was lying most of the time. He is not willing to take advice which would be to him and his future. Holden will never get anywhere with people if he lies about everything. He might think it is fun to lie, but it really shows how immature Holden really is. Also during this conversation with Old Spencer and him Holden shares, “Oh I feel some concern for my future… but not much, I guess” (14). This shows how Holden wants to avoid his future which he thinks is becoming an adult. He is not showing and interest in school because he has flunked out of many schools such as the most recent one Pencey Prep. He is not really prepared for the real world if he cannot get good education. He also does not want to go to college because he might feel like he would lose his childhood and adulthood would change everything for him. Education and school is a big part of one’s future and Holden shows that he is not ready for his. This is a childish act because Holden is implying that he does not want to grow up. Entering the adult world is somewhat far from Holden’s reach because of

Towards the end of the book, Holden took Phoebe, his favorite sister, to the carrousel except Holden did not ride with her. He says while she is riding, “All the kids kept trying to grab the gold ring, and so was Old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she’d fall off the goddam horse , but I didn’t say anything or do anything” (Salinger 211). This shows how Holden is maturing because Holden for one is protective and two, he does not want her to grow up. But Holden showed that he is somewhat letting go of it, and seeing that Phoebe is ready to grow up. This also helps Holden realize that since Phoebe is now growing up he might need to grow up also. He starts to let go of protecting innocence and childhood, but only a couple weeks later when he had returned home, he was put in an institute for mental care. This shows how Holden did not get better by this moment at the carrousel and he is still stuck between childhood and adulthood. Another moment is when Holden wants to find Phoebe and he describes the Museum of Natural History and he tells us, “Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you” (121). Holden used to go to the museum a lot and it was a big part of his childhood. What Holden means when he says that one would be different is that one would get older and