Holden Caulfield Maturity

Holden Caulfield a kid who has emotional, and social problems is having a struggle with growing up. Holden has many complications with his social abilities, and is in a very poor emotional state. He is hitting the age of maturity and he is struggling with that process. The book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, tell the story of how Holden Caulfield deals with his recent expulsion from his high school Pencey prep, and how he is struggling with growing up, and deal with mature situations. Holden struggles with growing up and fights between acting mature or acting like a child.
Holden has been having trouble maturing and expressing his feelings in a mature way. A situation that displays this, is when Holden punches Stradlater his roommate,

for not directly telling him what he did with Jane Holden’s childhood friend Holden says, “Then I tried to sock him, with all my might” (Salinger 43). This shows how Holden is unable to express how he feels towards Stradlater’s date with Jane. Instead of talking about it or dealing with it like an adult, he attacks, but is quickly stopped when Stradlater pins him down , and begins acting like a child by crying.
Another example is during the fight he starts crying, not because he was getting beat up, but because Stradlater didn’t care that Jane, “Kept her kings in the back row” (Salinger 44).

Holden shows that he continues to keep the innocent idea of Jane and checkers well within his mind. He thinks of Jane as innocence because of how she kept her kings in the back row the kings which to him made her seem like an innocent girl that was naive and friendly. This however changes when Stradlater comes back from his date with her, pushing Holden over the edge, afraid that his innocent belief of change is ruined. Holden has a struggle expressing his thoughts in a mature

way.
Holden likes to make up situations and warp reality.

Holden still does the childish thing of making up situations. An example of this is, when he gets beat up in the hotel and is bleeding instead of facing the fact he was beat he makes up a story that he was in a shootout Holden exclaims, “But I’d plug him anyway, six shots right through his fat hairy belly.” (Salinger 184). Holden making up a situation like this that shows that he still does the childish thing of making up a situation instead of accepting what actually happened. He also does it to make himself feel cool, so his self-esteem doesn’t lower.
Holden goes to a bar and gets drunk, he then starts to pretend that he was shot again, Holden says, “I kept keeping my hand under my jacket to keep the blood from dripping” (Salinger 150). Holden does this because he is trying to escape the harsh reality and makes his situations more fun and interesting. He doesn’t want to feel the guilt of getting drunk and hurting Sally’s feelings, so he bends reality. Holden warps reality and changes how he perceives things in order to not deal with

guilt.
Holden asks and thinks childlike questions. Throughout the story, Holden thinks of question that is normally asked by children. While Holden is being lectured by his teacher Mr. Spencer he thinks about the pond in central parks and, “if it would be frozen over when I got home, and if it was, where did the ducks go”(Salinger 17). THis shows how Holden thinks like a child, and how he doesn’t want to think of any logical answers, but instead just keep wondering where they go. Asking the question also shows how he has yet to fully grow because he asks these questions normally seen asked by children.
When Holden takes a cab to a hotel, Holden asks, “Well you know the ducks that swim around in it? In the springtime and all? Do you happen to know where they go in the wintertime, by and chance” (Salinger 81). When Holden asks this question is shows that he is holding back mature and logical thinking, and instead using childish, ignorant thinking. Which shows that he fights maturing by asking childish questions. Holden fights maturing by thinking like a child.
The ability of maturing is challenging for Holden Caulfield. Holden asking these questions, communicating poorly, and making up stories shows how he is struggling to grow up. This is because they are all found being done by a child. Think of Holden’s situation think about how he struggles, and is only looking for acceptance. Now think about the quiet or “weird” kid in the class, and relate them too Holden. Don’t instantly write that person off the list of new people to meet, don’t start gossiping about them. Instead try to put yourself in their shoes and think about the problem they may be facing