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Childhood in catcher in the rye
The catcher in the rye conflict between childhood and adulthood
The catcher in the rye conflict between childhood and adulthood
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Maturity is an illusion that is part of every child’s dreams. However, what they do not know is that adulthood is not all fun and games. Entering the adult world would mean giving up freedom and complying to rules that have more significance than they did before. Maturity introduces young adults to the world of responsibilities, work and the stresses involved with figuring out the future. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger reveals the inner battle the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, overcomes after he gets kicked out of school. He faces a dilemma with entering the phony world of adulthood that everyone, including his family, has joined. Holden struggles with letting go of his childhood which holds all of his fondest memories …show more content…
of Allie. Holden fears that entering the adult world will force him to conform to the laws of society, which ultimately, would ruin his mindset of innocence. When children become adults, their memories of their past slowly disappear as their mind is filled with thoughts about their future. Holden is afraid that growing up will lead him to forget his memories of his childhood. Holden’s little brother, Allie, died from leukemia and throughout the novel, it was made evident that Holden cherished his memories with his brother, which is why he cannot let go of his past. Holden is pessimistic and he talks negatively about everyone he comes across, but, whenever Allie is brought up, it would be in a positive manner. Whenever Holden mentions Allie, he compliments him “But it wasn’t just that he was the most intelligent member in the family. He was also the nicest, in lots of ways” (Salinger 38). This shows how much of an impact Allie still has on Holden for him to be constantly thinking about him. Since Holden had such a strong connection to Allie, he always talks to him when he feels lonely or discouraged. Furthermore, after the prostitute left Holden’s hotel room, he told the readers “ [...] I started talking, sort of out loud, to Allie. I do that sometimes when I get very depressed”(98). This shows how much Holden relies on Allie for support, and that he is the only person who will be there for him. In another instance, Holden started talking to Allie when he was walking along the Fifth Avenue and thought he was going to die “Then [he] started doing something else. Every time [he]’d get to the end of a block [he]’d make believe [he] was talking to [his] brother Allie. [He]’d say to him, ‘Allie, don’t let me disappear.’ […] And then when [he]’d reach the other side of the street without disappearing, [he]’d thank him” (198). Holden turns to Allie whenever he seeks comfort; someone to tell him that he will survive and that everything will be okay. Allie makes up most of Holden’s childhood and if he grows up, he believes that he will forget him just like the rest of his family has. As a result of Holden envying the concept of innocence, he mentions Allie and his sister, Phoebe.
Holden believes that children are pure due to their oblivious state of mind when it comes to the harsh reality of adulthood. Holden does not want to grow up and follow the same repetitive routine as everyone else. He knows that he will not be able to feel free if he continues to live the way he does, which is what he tells Sally, “I said no, there wouldn’t be marvelous places to go to after I went to college and all. Open your ears. It’d be entirely different” (133). Holden is so desperate to keep his life the way it is that he is willing to run away from his reality; which is growing up. Due to the reason that Holden has experienced the conflict of being stuck between reality and fantasy, he wants to prevent other children from losing their innocence and suffering like he did. Holden tells Phoebe, “Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids, playing some game in this big field of rye and all. [...] What I have to do, I have to watch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going,” (173). The cliff represents adulthood and the children running towards it without knowing where they are going implies that they are conforming to the norm without being aware of it. As a result, whenever Holden sees children in their own little bubble, he becomes content; just like he did when he saw the little boy on the street “He was just singing for the hell of it, you could tell. The cars zoomed by, brakes screeched all over the place, his parents paid no attention to him, and he kept walking next to the curb and singing …” (115). The boy was singing with no purpose and he was doing what he wanted to do, which completely contrasts to the nature of adults as they always have an intention. Since Holden has discovered the truth of adulthood, he wants to catch the children and help them not fall into society’s trap.
Holden hates the fact that no one told him adulthood would make him lose his purity, which is why he wants to guide other children in the right path. Those who fall into the black hole of society are crushed by the weight of stress, responsibilities and work. There is a lot of pressure placed on adults because they cannot rely on their guardians anymore; they have to take care of everything by themselves. Holden is surrounded by adults and from what he can see, he knows that he is not ready for the adult world. Holden’s encounter with Spencer proves that he does not want to grow up “The minute [Holden] walked in, [he] was sort of sorry [he’d] come. [Spencer] was reading the Atlantic Monthly, and there were pills and medicine all over place, and everything smelled like Vicks Nose Drops. It was pretty depressing” (7). Looking at Spencer scared Holden of what his own future would look like; being sick and weak. Holden believes that if he grows up, he will become “phony” like everyone else. All the people in Holden’s life are doing what is considered to be acceptable in society, instead of doing what they genuinely like. Holden mentions the phony nature of his dad, “Even if you did go around saving guys’ lives and all, how would you know if you did it because you really wanted to save guys’ lives, or because you did it because what you really wanted to do was be a terrific lawyer, with everybody slapping you on the back and congratulating you in court,” (172). No one can tell if someone is being sincere or just doing what they are supposed to do without being ostracized. This is why Holden does not want to grow up; he does not want to pretend to be someone he is not. Being an adult means that people have to balance all their work while simultaneously pleasing society. To Holden, becoming an adult means that he has to let go of things that are important to him, while abiding to the laws that society is forcing him to follow. As a result, Holden is afraid of growing up because he is not able to let go of the most important person from his childhood. Holden wants to maintain childhood innocence in society. Lastly, Holden does not want to create a routine for his life where he has to follow what other people tell him to do. Often times as children, people always wish to grow up quickly so they can be grownups and follow their dreams, but, once they become adults, they wish to go back to their childhood where they were oblivious to everything that was going on.
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.
After many years of ideas coming and going, one that seems to stay the same is the thoughts of tennagers. In the book The Catcher In The Rye written by J.D Salinger many can still relate to Holden’s story even after a 76 year difference. While exploring the city around him Holden takes the time to try to find himself on a deeper level and try to grasp how growing up really makes him feel. Given the fact that everyone is unique in among themselves the need for self satisfaction is always current meaning many run from the true responsibilities that come with age.
In J.D. Sallinger's Catcher in the Rye, is based on the sullen life of Holden Caulfield, a 16-year-old teen-ager is trying to find his sense of direction. Holden, a growing adult, cannot accept the responsibilities of an adult. Eventually realizing that there is no way to avoid the adult life, he can only but accept this alternative lifestyle. What Holden describes the adult world as a sinful, corrupted life, he avoids it for three important reasons: His hatred towards phonies and liars, unable to accept adult responsibilities, and thirdly to enshrine his childhood youth.
In J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is seen by some critics a a drop out student destined for failure in life, but I see him as a symbol of an adolescent who struggles to adapt to the reality of adulthood.
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
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...
This reveals Holden’s fantasy of an idealistic childhood and his role as the guardian of innocence. Preventing children from “going over the cliff” and losing their innocence is his way of vicariously protecting himself from growing up as well. Holden acknowledges that this is “crazy,” yet he cannot come up with a different lifestyle because he struggles to see the world for how it truly is, and fears not knowing what might happen next. Holden’s “catcher in the rye” fantasy reflects his innocence, his belief in a pure, uncorrupted youth, and his desire to protect it. This fantasy also represents his disconnection from reality, as he thinks he can stop the process of growing up, yet
An image he has created in his mind as someone who overlooks children playing in a rye in order to save them shall they fall off the cliff at the end of the rye. Holden’s only dream serves as a parallel of his life, showing his inability to strive for anything real as it simultaneously reveals his fear of falling from childhood or innocence. Childhood is associated with innocence in Holden’s eyes as he sees all things beyond it as something you need to be saved from. Holden believes he needs to save these children before they fall from their
Innocence lies within everyone in at least one point in their lives, but as reality consumes them, that purity begins to vanish slowly as they learn new experiences. In the coming of age novel set in the nineteen-forties, J.D Salinger writes about a sixteen-year-old boy named Holden Caulfield who stands between a road that separates childhood from adulthood and is confused about which path to take. On a three-day trip in New York away from his family and fellow peers at school, Holden encounters many situations in which lead him to think twice about who he wants to become and how he wants to guide others who are in the same situation he is in. In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D Salinger utilizes symbolism, vivid imagery, and slangy diction to expose Holden’s struggle to preserve the innocence of the people that he loves while alienating himself from the adult world he calls “phony.”
Protected by a cocoon of naiveté, Holden Caulfield, the principal character in the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, therapeutically relates his lonely 24 hour stay in downtown New York city, experiencing the "phony" adult world while dealing with the death of his innocent younger brother. Through this well-developed teenage character, JD Salinger, uses simple language and dialogue to outline many of the complex underlying problems haunting adolescents. With a unique beginning and ending, and an original look at our new society, The Catcher in the Rye is understood and appreciated on multiple levels of comprehension. The book provides new insights and a fresh view of the world in which adolescents live.
He admires the courage, the truth, and the pure innocence that children hold on to when they are young. “While I was waiting around for Phoebe in the museum, right outside the doors and all, these two little kids came up to me and asked if I knew where the mummies were. The one little kid, the one that asked me, had his pants open. I told him about it. So he buttoned them right up where he was standing talking to me – he didn't even bother to go behind a post or anything. He killed me,” (202). Holden finds that this lack of “phoniness” is admirable and the fact that children weren’t ashamed and that they were able to go on life without worrying about what other people think. However, Holden’s comparison from children to adult can be seen with Phoebe. He says that “You take adults, they look lousy when they're asleep, but kids don't. Kids look all right. They can even spit all over the pillow and they still look alright,” (159). He indirectly compares sleep to the loss of innocence, how adults become lousy when society starts to corrupt them but kids look still cute doing the same things because they’re pure in heart. Holden also shows his admiration for children as he reads Phoebe’s notebook, adding that “kid’s notebooks kill me”. In Phoebe’s notebook he sees that the innocence that Phoebe possesses allows for her to write exactly what she is thinking without modifying anything-another trait he finds that
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.
To begin with, Holden’s love for the innocence and purity of childhood makes him very hesitant to transition into an adult life. Generally, he finds children to be straightforward, easygoing, and simply pure in every way. This is because they always say what they mean, and never try to set a false façade for...
There is one event that unites all human beings. This event is the process of growing up and becoming an adult. The transition into adulthood from childhood can be very long and confusing. As a kid most of them can not wait to become an adult but once you experience adulthood you miss your childhood. The novel Catcher in the Rye shows how a teenager on the break of entering adulthood can get scared. Through the main protagonist Holden Caulfield, J.D. Salinger captures the confusion of a teenager when faced with the challenge of adapting to an adult society. Holden is faced with many problems as some teens
There is a singular event that unites every single human being on the planet, growing up. Not everyone can say it was pleasant, but no one can deny that it took place. The transition between childhood innocence and adulthood is long and confusing; often forcing one to seek out the answers to questions that likely have no definitive answer. During the process, the adult world seems inviting and free, but only when we are on the brink of entering this cruel, unjust society can the ignorant bliss of childhood be truly recognized. Catcher in the Rye explores the intimidating complexities associated with adulthood and how baffling it seems to the naïve teenage mind. Through the main protagonist, Holden Caulfield, J.D. Salinger captures the confusion of a teenager when faced with the challenge of adapting to an adult society.