Holden Caulfield Sacrifice

The Mind Behind Caulfield of His Ducks and its Habitats
The narrator of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield fails to acknowledge his identity. Born to a wealthy family, Caulfield feels lonesome and depress after his younger brother, Allie’s death. Caulfield eventually becomes confuse of what he wants for himself. He constantly longs to maintains his innocence self, yet some other times he wishes to be view and respects as an adult. Caulfield’s addiction towards alcohol and cigarettes, as well as his desires for intimacy relationships demonstrates Caulfield’s attempts to be a grownup. In addition, throughout the novel, Salinger mentions the recurring idea of the ducks in the Central Park. The ducks and its habitat illustrates

Caulfield’s dilemma of transitioning from his childhood to an adulthood.

The Icy lagoon and the ducks in the Central Park conveys a more deeper meaning to Caulfield. Not only because he has wonderful childhood memories there, but oddly for his eagerness to understands life from the icy lagoon, and the ducks perspective. Caulfield first came across the idea of the ducks and the lagoon when he zones out during Mr. Spencer’s lectures session, “I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over” (Salinger 13). Right off the bat, Caulfield’s lacks of maturity is shown; all ducks migrate to the south during winter. Caulfield’s curiosity grows larger when he asks the same question about the ducks to taxi driver who is taking him to the hotel “by any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over” (Salinger)? Caulfield still could not find any luck, instead the taxi driver ask where his destination is. Despite, Caulfield foolish query, he grasps the

idea that the ducks have to migrate to some place during the cold, New York City winter. He might not know where all the ducks go, but he sure knows that the ducks needs to migrate somewhere in order to survive. Just like Caulfield himself, he does not know what the future hold for him, but recognizes the fact that he eventually needs to mature to get through life. Furthermore, the lagoon is like the safe haven for both, the ducks and Caulfield. The ducks would not relocate, if the lagoon is not icy. The similar principle applies to Caulfield, even if Pencey Prep let him stay until he graduates, he can only live in a school for so long. In the course of time, Caulfield needs to survive on his own. Hence, the reason Caulfield interested about the ducks and the lagoon, and is hoping for an accurate answer from the taxi driver.
Caulfield gains knowledge of the existence of the fishes in the lagoon, and how they sustain during the winter, introduces him to sees a different perspective in growing old. As Caulfield makes his way out to Ernie’s, a nightclub in the city; he, once again, finds himself discussing about the ducks and the lagoon in Central Park with a taxi driver name Horwitz. Instead of responding to Caulfield’s ducks questions, Horwitz answers how the fish stay in the lake, how the usually are, does not matter what season it is. In Caulfield’s defense. he is not asking about the fish, “‘The fish-that’s different. The fish is different. I’m talking about the ducks’”(Salinger 82). Little did Caulfield realizes, he accepts that the fish and the ducks are not suppose be treated the same way. For the reason being, the fish depicts as children while the ducks are the adults. The concept of maturing becomes apparent to Caulfield when Horwitz explained how the fish eat in the winter, “‘that's their nature, for Chrissake’” (Salinger 83). The fishes’ life during the winter seems much less complex than the ducks. The fish seems to be very put together by nature. Caulfield’s life is no way near put together, he is currently transitioning from the fish stages to the duck stages. Even the duckling must have some sort of training from his or her parents how to sustain life, Caulfield lacks of his parents’ guidance. Hereafter, Caulfield sees different perspective of growing old from a taxi driver interpretation of the lives of the ducks and the fishes in the lake.
Caulfield starting to realize his circumstances are not like the fish thus, he is slowly accepting the reality that he cannot maintains his innocence forever.

Horwitz tells Caulfield more understanding on the fishes’ life, “‘if you was a fish, Mother Nature’d take care of you, wouldn’t she”(Salinger 83)? As refers to the previous paragraph, Caulfield’s relationships with his parents are not a great one. Here, Horwitz assuring how the mother nature would nurtures him. Caulfield technically has been independently, in a boarding school. His own mother is still dealing with Allie’s death. There is no way Caulfield’s circumstances is any way near close to the fishes’. Nearly when he reaches his breaking point, drunken and lonesome Caulfield visits the lagoon, “‘I knew right where it was--it was right near Central Park South and all--but I still couldn't find it’”(Salinger 154). Not only is the lagoon a safe haven for the fish, but it is also for the ducks; at least for some time it is. Like the ducks, he is not able to live in the protected environment for the rest of his life. The reason that Caulfield is having a difficult time finding the lagoon because the lagoon is no longer for Caulfield. He has toughen up, no more playing around in the lagoon with the other duckling. He has to migrates from his childhood into the

adulthood.
The ducks is the Central Park is the most important concept which Salinger uses to depicts Caulfield confusion and eventually understanding of growing older.