Catcher In The Rye Bildungsroman

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Recommended: The various aspects of coming of age that the main character experiences in The Catcher in the Rye

People don't just grow up. Throughout their life they go through many changes in thoughts and feeling which could either be in a positive or a negative way and there must be events that make them consider to change and hesitate what they are doing. The book Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger published in 1951, should be classified as a Bildungsroman since it shows the transformation of Holden throughout the book. From a kid who did not open up for anything, to a kid who starts to hesitate about what he's doing, and finally to a kid who acknowledges that no matter what he does, he will not be able to change everything. After the death of Holden’s brother, Allie. Holden did not open up to anyone, didn't seem to care what is happening …show more content…

However, nothing really changes his thought until he gets to talk to his sister, Phoebe. When she asked him what Holden really wants to do with his life, he explained to her saying “I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all” ( Salinger 191).This shows how he wants to protect the innocent and keep that innocence forever in each of the kids same as himself. Nonetheless, He now realizes that keeping innocence for the kid is not possible. One day when he was walking down the staircase he said “ I saw another ‘Fuck you’ signs on the wall. I tried to rub it off with my hand again, but this one was scratched on, with a knife or something. It wouldn't come off. It’s hopeless, anyway. If you had million years to do it in, you couldn't rub out even half the ‘Fuck you’ sign” (Salinger 222). This perfectly shows how its not possible to cover everything in the world and so Holden must let the kid grow up and see everything because it is not possible to keep the innocence inside of them their whole life and by not letting go of that innocence, it might be a danger to the kid

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    Holden wants to shelter children from the adult world (Chen). In Chapter 16, the catcher in the rye finally appears. This is also a symbol for what Holden would like to be when he grows older. He pictures a group of many kids playing in a field of rye, where it is his job to catch them from falling off the cliff. This shows Holden’s love for childhood and his need to preserve it in any way he can. According to Alsen, “The way Holden explains why he wants to be the catcher in the rye shows the kindness and unselfishness of his character. However, the surreal nature of the metaphor also reveals his unwillingness to face the real life choices he needs to make now that he is approaching adulthood.” By the end of the book, Holden realizes in order for kids to grow, there can’t be protection from all of potential harm. “He therefore gives up his dream of being the catcher in the rye and is ready to make a realistic choice of what he wants to do with his life” (Alsen). Holden’s dream world, that doesn’t involve change, is unrealistic. He is terrified by the unpredictable changes of the adult world, but there is no way for Holden to avoid the experiences and changes that the

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