Walt Disney once said: “Growing up isn’t simply getting old… Growing up is when you don’t believe in yourself anymore.” In “The Catcher In The Rye” by J.D. Salinger, Holden experiences self-doubt as he grows up and prepares for adulthood. Holden is egotistical to realize the downfalls of adulthood, which he then avoids for himself. He doesn’t accept the fact that everyone must grow up into the person they want to be. Salinger’s depiction of Holden is that he is afraid of growing up which changes the way Holden views the world.
The museum Holden visits is an important symbol of growing up and the environment of peacefulness. Holden considers the museum an important representation of his life, which reflects the importance of comfort that
…show more content…
it gives him. For example, when Holden enters the museum he states that “he knows the whole museum routine like a book” (Salinger 119). This shows that as he grows up, he can go to the museum to collect his thoughts and contain all of his feelings as he observes the exhibits. As he grows up when he visits the museum, he may realize something he never noticed before or find more exhibits that reflect him as a person. As Holden walked through the museum and accumulated his feelings, he thought to himself and indicated that “the best thing in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was” (Salinger 121). This represents that placement of certain objects gives him comfort and maturity because everything in the museum is still and will be the same forever. This shows that Holden is afraid of change and struggles through his life even though he has the whole world ahead of him. While Holden reflects on the exhibits in the museum, he realizes the significance of the change he may face in the future: “The only thing that would be different would be you” (Salinger 121). This shows that Holden was mature enough to realize that when you grow up, you want some things in your life to stay the way they are. This means that even though you are different, you have grown to view things differently than the way you viewed it before. The museum is an important image of adulthood for Holden that he can look back on in order to understand the meaning of advancement in life. Although the museum is a significant symbol to how Holden changes and matures, the “Little Shirley Beans” record that Holden gifted for Phoebe is an accurate depiction of how Holden grows up.
For instance, when Holden accidentally dropped the record, he exaggerates that “it broke into about fifty pieces. It was in a big envelope and all, but it broke anyway” (Salinger 154). This shows that the record represents himself and as a metaphor, he broke into fifty pieces. It means that Holden couldn’t keep his life on a straight path. Therefore, the record also reflects his mistakes in school after he got kicked out of Pency. This means that Holden is broken on the inside from growing up without his family, especially his younger sister Phoebe because she is the only person he feels comfortable talking to. After Holden broke the record, he states his emotions by saying, “I damn near cried, it made me feel so terrible, but all I did was, I took the pieces out of the envelope and put them in my coat pocket” (Salinger 154). This shows that the record is symbolic of Holden’s childhood and the sense that he is afraid of letting go. The record Holden bought for Phoebe was five dollars, which is a lot of money to him, and this shows that Holden would pay greatly to avoid the reality of adulthood. While Holden picked up the pieces, he put them back in the envelope: “They weren’t any good for anything, but I didn’t feel like throwing them away” (Salinger 154). This shows that …show more content…
Holden is holding on to his childhood and he isn’t ready to be forced to let go of the past and face the future. This means that he has grown to keep the memories of his family because the record is special to him and an important symbol in his life. Salinger’s demonstrated use of growing up shows that he wants the reader to understand that Holden is saved by his family, which means that even though your life is hard, you can’t just throw it away and forget about it. While the record is a proper representation of Holden’s life as it detaches from the world, Salinger shows Holden as “The Catcher in the Rye”, while he faces the reality of change and development. Holden views himself as the “The Catcher in the Rye” which makes him face the reality of adulthood and accept the fact that everyone must grow up.
When Holden has a glimpse of himself being the catcher in the rye, he mentions: “thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around- nobody big, I mean- except me” (Salinger 173). This means that the field is full of children, not adults. Therefore, Salinger’s demonstrated use of growing up shows that Holden welcomes the fact that he doesn’t want to grow up and wants to protect the kids from adulthood. When Holden imagines himself saving the children, he states: “What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff- I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they are going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them” (Salinger 173). This shows that Holden would save the children from falling which means he wants to protect them from growing up. With this in mind, Holden realizes that everyone must grow up and to Holden, it’s an upsetting reality that he refuses to accept. As Holden experiences this vision, he realizes what he wants to be when he grows up: “That’s what I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be” (Salinger 173). This shows that Holden is stuck in a “holding” pattern and until he is able to face reality, he will never be able to move forward in his life. Therefore, this shows that Holden
doesn’t want to be influenced by adults when he is older. Holden is apprehensive of growing up because he handles everything with fear. He realizes that the kids in the field would be unaware of the challenges they have to confront in life. They will be unaware of the stress that comes with it and Holden doesn’t want the children to experience that in life. This represents Holden’s feelings about growing up and confronting change that he wants to avoid. The implication of Holden being the catcher in the rye serves as his way of preventing change as he defends people from manhood. In “The Catcher In The Rye” by J.D. Salinger, Salinger describes Holden as someone who is fearful of change and someone who wants to hold on to childhood forever. This connects to people in the world because teenagers are taking longer to attain the responsibilities of adulthood. The longer they wait to grow up, the longer it takes them to leave the house, begin careers, and start families. These people could relate to Holden because the fear of growing up affects the way they see the world. Society has to accept the fact that teenagers hold on to childhood attitudes just like Holden holds onto important symbols that relate to his life. Although growing up can be difficult for some, one must consider that overcoming challenges can help prepare them for success in life.
In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden, cannot accept that he must move out of childhood and into adulthood. One of Holden’s most important major problems is his lack of maturity. Holden also has a negative perspective of life that makes things seem worse than they really are. In addition to Holden’s problems he is unable to accept the death of his brother at a young age. Holden’s immaturity, negative mentality, and inability to face reality hold him back from moving into adulthood.
When Holden remembers incidents from his past involving Allie, his attitude changes, such as when he writes the composition about Allie's baseball glove or when Holden broke his hand after punching all of the windows after Allie died. "I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it". He feels that Allie was one of the few people who were not phony in a world full of phonies. More importantly, Allie represents the innocence and childhood that Holden strives to find throughout his three-day journey. In Holden's opinion, Allie represents the purity that Holden looks for in the world.
Holden says "What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff--I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going 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." (page TBD) This quote goes well with Holden resisting to grow up. Holden says this when he's standing over the ledge and looking down on the children. Holden believes that it is important to maintain a child's innocence and we see this throughout the book. Constantly Holden is helping children and making sure they are doing well and are okay. We see this a lot when Holden talks about his sister Phoebe. Holden does not want to grow up and he proves that when he says that adults are phony and then Holden will look at a child and he will think that he wants to save that child from growing up because he doesn't want that kid to become a phony like the rest of the adults. In the song When We Were Young by Adele she says You look like a movie/You sound like a song/My God, this reminds me/Of when we were young/Let me photograph you in this
J. D. Salinger’s novel, Catcher in the Rye explores the ambiguity of the adult world Holden must eventually learn to accept. Throughout the novel, Holden resists the society grownups represent, coloring his childlike dreams with innocence and naivety. He only wants to protect those he loves, but he cannot do it the way he desires. As he watches Phoebe on the carousel, he begins to understand certain aspects of truth. He writes:
This demonstrates that Holden has this mindset and believes that he isn't ageing because he occasionally believes that he is thirteen most of the time. He's trying to resist adulthood because that’s when all his issues began. In addition, when Holden took Phoebe to a museum he really enjoyed his time there because of how everything was put. Holden sated “the best thing though in the museum was that everything always stayed right where it is. Nobody´d move. You could go hundred thousand times, and that Eskimo would still be just finished catching those two fish, the birds would be on their way south, the deers would still be drinking out of that water hole … Nobody's be different” (Salinger 121). This conveys that Holden is fond of the museum because it doesn't change unlike other places he is surrounded which relates to the death of his brother Allie, who died of leukemia. He believes that when his brother died, his whole world shifted as a result, his parent isolated themselves from him and connects to the reason Holden is unable to acknowledge that his urge is to never change like a
There will always be a moment where we all change, but most of us would prefer to hold on to remaining an adolescent. "Catcher in the Rye" written by J.D. Salinger, is a story about a high-school student, Holden, who looks for a reason to change and move on from his depressing page of life. The novel depicts the adventures of Holden as he processes a change. Through Holden's resistance to change, Salinger expresses that people sometimes crave for the past which impacts us negatively, but we would be better off if we learn to move on and find something special.
Throughout the book Holden admits he doesn't like change. Holden fear of growing up , becoming an adult and thinking of of it disgust him. For example the museum, Holden like it because the exterior of it did not change and says the only thing that would change would be you.In the text Luce says “Same old Caulfield.When are you going to grow up already?”(144). Holden wants things to stay how they are and how his life is. Holden considers adults phonies and he doesn’t want to be consider phony as well. When he describes the museum he says the best part about it is that it never changes, only you do.Holden bonds with his sister taking her to the zoo, museum and the carousel.He wants to Phoebe to experience what he did and to get the memories alive. “What I have to do, I would have to catch everyone if they start to go over the cliff- what I have to do, I mean if they are running and they don't look where they are going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That is all I have to do. I would just be the catcher in the rye”(173). This quote show how by holden is catching them from falling down the cliff which symbolizes stopping them from adulthood. “Thousand of little kids and nobody’s around- nobody big , I mean except me”(173). This quotes implies how young innocent kids won't be exerted by adults
Salinger’s demonstration of use of physical falls leads to a metaphorical fall for Holden, his nervous breakdown that has him checked into a mental institution. Salinger’s demonstrations of these physical falls revolve around Holden’s role of the catcher in the rye, protecting children from losing their innocence and becoming phonies. This metaphorical fall for Holden was caused by the fact that he realized that growing up is necessary and we all end up falling. Holden realizes this through his role of the catcher in the rye, Mr. Antolini, Sally, and Phoebe. When transitioning into adulthood we all lose our innocence, therefore we become phonies.
Holden Caulfield can be analyzed through his thoughts, actions and circumstances which surround his everyday life. Holden acts like a careless teenager. Holden has been to several prep-schools, all of which he got kicked out of for failing classes. After being kicked out of the latest, Pency Prep, he went off to New York on his own. Holden seems to have a motivation problem which apparently affects his reasoning. The basis of his reasoning comes from his thoughts. Holden thinks the world is full of a bunch of phonies. All his toughs about people he meets are negative. The only good thoughts he has are about his sister Phoebe and his dead brother Alley. Holden, perhaps, wishes that everyone, including himself, should be like his brother and sister. That is to be intelligent, real and loving. Holden’s problem is with his heart. It was broken when his brother died. Now Holden goes around the world as his fake self, wearing his mask. Holden is looking for love, peace and understanding. He is scared to love because he is afraid he might lose it like he did with his brother. That is the reason for Holden's love of the museum, he feels safe because it never changes it always stays the same. Holden is troubled with the pain of death, it effects every aspect of his life causing him to not care about the future, himself or anyone, except Phoebe and Alley.
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s outlook in life is either the innocence of childhood or the cruelty of adulthood. He believes that the innocence of childhood is very valuable and it should be protected from the cruelty and phoniness of the adult world. Therefore Holden has a desire and is compelled to protect a child’s innocence at all costs. This is revealed when Holden tells Phoebe that he wants to be the catcher in the rye. Holden says to Phoebe, “What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they’re ru...
We see during the novel that Holden wants to be able to protect innocence in the world, however by the end of the story he lets go of that desire. This is a point of growth for Holden. He finds that it is impossible and unnecessary to keep all the innocence in the world. While with Phoebe Holden says, “I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye...I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff...That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye” (173). In this moment Holden wants to be able to preserve all the youth and innocence in the world. He doesn’t accept that kids have to grow and change and that they can’t stay innocent forever. Later on in the story when Holden is with Phoebe at a carousel again he thinks, “The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the golden ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them.” At the end of the novel Holden realizes and comes to terms with the fact that kids grow and lose their innocence. He moves from his want to be the “catcher in the rye” to...
Holden tries to preserve his own innocence, and the innocence of others by not letting go of childhood memories and through his desire to suspend time. Holden views the adult world as corrupt and full of phonies. He admires childhood because of how it is free of corruption, and untouched by the adult world. IN order to preserve his own innocence Holden often attaches himself to childhood memories. The Museum of NAtural History is one of Holden’s favourite places . He mentions that his grade one teacher Miss. Aigletinger used to take his class there every saturday. While writing about the museum he says, “The best thing, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was” (121). This shows how Holden wants to preserve his innocence because he expresses how he likes how everything stayed the
It takes many experiences in order for an immature child to become a responsible, well-rounded adult. In J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger’s main character Holden Caulfield matures throughout the course of the novel. In the beginning of the novel, Holden is a juvenile young man. However, through his experiences, Holden is able to learn, and is finally able to become somewhat mature by the end of the novel. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield’s story represents a coming of age for all young adults.
Growing up and becoming mature can be an intimidating experience; it is difficult to let go of one’s childhood and embrace the adult world. For some people, this transition from youthfulness to maturity can be much more difficult than for others. These people often try to hold on to their childhood as long as they can. Unfortunately, life is not so simple. One cannot spend their entire life running from the responsibilities and hardships of adulthood because they will eventually have to accept the fact that they have a role in society that they must fulfill as a responsible, mature individual. The novel “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger follows the endeavours of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old teenage boy who faces a point in his life where he must make the transition from childhood to adulthood. In an attempt to retain his own childhood, he begins hoping to stop other young children from growing up and losing their innocence as well. As indicated by the title, “The Catcher in the Rye” is a book that explores a theme involving the preservation of innocence, especially of children. It is a story about a boy who is far too hesitant to grow up, and feels the need to ensure that no one else around him has to grow up either. His own fear of maturity and growing up is what leads to Holden’s desire to become a “catcher in the rye” so he can save innocent children from becoming part of the “phoniness” of the adult world.
Lies, failure, depression, and loneliness are only some of the aspects that Holden Caulfield goes through in the novel The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger. Salinger reflects Holden’s character through his own childhood experiences. Salinger admitted in a 1953 interview that "My boyhood was very much the same as that of the boy in the book.… [I]t was a great relief telling people about it” (Wikipedia). Thus, the book is somewhat the life story of J.D. Salinger as a reckless seventeen-year-old who lives in New York City and goes through awful hardships after his expulsion and departure from an elite prep school. Holden, the protagonist in this novel, is created as a depressed, cynical, and isolated character and he expresses this attitude through his dialogue, tone, and diction.