Holden Caulfield Mistakes

The Reality of Mistakes

At first glance, a world without any mistakes would be a utopia. However, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Mistakes are essential to learning and deciphering right from wrong. Even some of the most useful inventions today were created by mistake. Mistakes are a crucial part of the learning process and can help build up character or strength over time. Humans frequently make errors, therefore, mistakes shouldn’t be perceived negatively.

Mistakes are essential for improvement, whether that’s in science or in social situations. Every error a person makes brings them closer to the right answer or a new discovery. For instance, the discovery of penicillin was based upon a mistake. However, the effect wasn’t a negative

one, since penicillin is now used widespread. Alexander Fleming found a strange fungus on a culture that he left in his lab that killed off bacteria (Chemheritage.org). By Fleming making the mistake of leaving his culture out for too long, the newfound fungus ended up being a staple antibiotic for modern day medicine. There is an apparent fear of making errors in the medical field, specifically regarding surgery. Even a small scale mistake by a surgeon could be the difference between life and death for a patient. However, mistakes in the past have led doctors and surgeons to learn what not to do. By using a previous mistake as a negative example, surgeries can further improve. Another finding that was made by mistake was Christopher Columbus’ discovery of America. He was initially trying to find where India was, but mistook America to be India. Although this mistake is incredibly off from the correct location, it is still considered a great accomplishment. Columbus was the first European to discover American land (History.com). Mistakes commonly have a negative association with them, when in reality, most mistakes aren’t as detrimental as people perceive them to be.
To see the correct answer, a person needs to view the incorrect ones to differentiate between the few. How would people know the difference between right from wrong, if there wasn’t a definition of wrong? Mistakes allow a person to realize that what they did initially didn’t work, therefore making them think differently or take an alternate approach. Famous figures such as Thomas Edison admitted to making dozens of mistakes before creating a successful final product. His famous quote was, “I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” From Edison’s point of view, mistakes don’t necessarily equate to failure. By constantly using the trail and error method, eventually, he developed the lightbulb which drastically changed society. It was a tedious process of finding out how to make the light bulb work, but without his numerous mistakes, he wouldn’t have success. Errors should just be considered part of a process rather than an outcome. Some of the greatest inventions were all because of a few mistakes, or in Edison’s case, thousands.
Humans are bound to make frequent mistakes.

On the bright side, errors can build up one’s character. It’s more impressive for someone to fix their mistakes and return stronger than before, than get an answer right the first try. Bouncing back from an error is a difficult process, therefore, it’s often applauded when someone does fix their mistakes. Holden Caulfield, from Catcher in the Rye, makes a dozen mistakes over the course of the book. However, it’s not about the mistakes he makes, it’s the aftermath. Holden failed classes, left his school, and ran away from home. Without these mistakes, would the book have even a fraction of the intensity? Mistakes helped deepen the plot and become more relatable. Readers can relate to Holden since every person has messed up before. Holden shouldn’t be recognized for his series of mistakes, rather his bravery for coming home and going to therapy. His mistakes didn’t build him as a person, it was his actions following the errors. Holden coming back home and taking the initiative to go therapy showed that he cared about his sister and family. Without the mistakes, Holden would most likely continue distancing himself from his family. The series of mistakes brought his true character and values to the surface. Even though Holden suffered some consequences as a result of his mistake, the lesson he learned afterwards matters the most. If Holden never messed up, he wouldn’t realize that he actually cares about his parents. Even the character Scout Finch, from the classic book To Kill a Mockingbird, made the mistake of thinking her neighbor was an evil man. She created tales about him with friends and spread nasty rumors. When Scout found out that Boo Radley wasn’t all that evil, she realized she was in the wrong. Yet, without her interest in Radley, she may have never been saved by him during the attack, as well as not realizing the severity of being prejudice. By Scout and Jem frequently visiting Boo’s house, he began to take

interest in the kids. This is most likely what pushed Boo to save the kids from Ewell’s attack. The experience of figuring out that Boo Radley wasn’t a monster after all opened Scout’s eyes, and restored her faith in people. If she never perceived Boo to be creepy, she wouldn’t have had an epiphany later about her false judgements and unkind behavior.
Not all errors should be frowned upon. Even the worst mistakes have a learning lesson attached with it. People wouldn’t be able differentiate between right and wrong without the emergence of errors. Progress isn’t a process revolved around perfection, since perfection isn’t realistic when it comes to humans. People need to make mistakes to learn and grow. A world without mistakes could easily be seen as beneficial, specifically regarding the medical field, but humans aren’t robots. Errors are a part of human nature, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The cliché, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” definitely holds true.