Holden's Fear Of Growing Up In The Cather In The Rye

648 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analyse the character of holden caulfield

Holden Caulfield and his fear of growing up
The Cather in the Rye introduces the reader to a confused, Holden Caulfield, who is torn between his curiosity to grow up, and his want to stay young and maintain innocence. The novel displays symbols and imagery through Holden’s interactions with his sister Phoebe, The red hunting hat in which Holden thinks is comical looking, the baseball mitt and the Museum of Natural History. Holden uses these to express his rejection to change and growing up. Through the further examinations of these symbols and images, we can begin to understand the mind of Holden Caulfield and his fear of growing up.

Phoebe, Holden’s younger sister, is the symbol of childhood innocence that Holden hopes to protect from this phony world that is filled with filth and a disgusting reality. Holden believed that children were innocent because they viewed the world and society without any bias. Through out the novel, Holden hangs on to memories of Allie as a innocent child, but can’t do anything now because Allie is dead. He now puts his greatest efforts in keeping Phoebe’s innocents by nurturing her and always surrounding her with childish events. Nevertheless Holden finds much joy seeing her in these types of environments. Because Holden has been exposed to this phony world, and cannot gain his innocence back, he feels that bringing Phoebe to a carousel ride will help preserve her childhood. Holden thinks it is important for Phoebe to keep her innocence and stay a child as long as possible because in Holden’s personal experience, he had never really showed a liking into anyone except for a small handful. He saw bad in almost everyone and viewed the world as corrupt, which is why Holden Caulfield has a fear of g...

... middle of paper ...

... museum because although life went on and things happened in the real world, he could always return to the museum and expect the same that he did the last time he was there. Yet although Holden loves this about the museums he hates the fact that with every time he comes back, he is older and more mature. He is coming back with a little less innocence that he did the previous time.

Now having identified and explained all of Holden Caulfield’s emotional struggles between his curiosities with growing up and his need to preserve innocence through symbols and imagery, Holden begins to realize this efforts are useless. He is aware life goes on and everyone will be exposed to the cruelty and phoniness of the world at some point or another. He just believed he could postpone the inevitable truth for the ones he considered to be still innocent including himself.

Show More
Related

  • Why does Holden fear adulthood?

    1404 Words  | 3 Pages

    of them, but he doesn’t see he is already a phony. Holden finds hypocrisy in almost everything he sees but does not yet even realize. that he too is part of that corrupt world the minute he stopped being a child and wanted to be an adult. Holden fears becoming an adult in mind and heart, but wants to become one. one in his actions, he said.

    Read More

  • How Is Holden Unhealable Bound

    589 Words  | 2 Pages

    This metaphorically explains how he feels about Allie. Holden wishes he could somehow save him from leukemia, even though it is uncontrollable. Also, when his sister, Phoebe, rides the carousel Holden thinks about telling her to be careful and not fall, but he refrains because he realizes if she falls, she falls; there is nothing he can do about it. This is significant because it shows how he is learning to understand that he has to let children live their lives and grow on their own. Holden initially wants to be a guardian for all children protecting them from pain, but he later learns that his approach of being overprotective is not

    Read More

  • How Does Holden Present Trauma In Catcher In The Rye

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    Holden’s childhood was far from ideal, with Allie dying, his dysfunctional parents and the revelation that he had some “perverty” stuff happen to him when he was a kid. Due to this, he isn't ready to step into adulthood and leave his childhood behind. This is why Holden is mostly alienated from adults and connects more to the innocence of children like the girl at the park and his sister, Phoebe. However, Holden is disillusioned with both adulthood and childhood. He already knows how it feels to be an adult; drinking alcohol, being independent, living by himself and caring for Phoebe, but isn’t ready to immerse himself in it.

    Read More

  • The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

    1106 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... is apparent that he is a troubled young man through not only what is said and done, but what is also left as unspoken thoughts inside his mind. Holden Caulfield is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, mentally unstable. He is not classified as a "crazy person" or a "loon" but he is a young man who, as a child, had innocence and purity ripped away with no warning or mercy. Instead of reacting more positively and growing older at a young age, the tragedies caused him to year for the innocence of childhood that he knew in some dark corner of his mind had been long gone and was never returning regardless of how much faith and stubbornness he had.

    Read More

  • The Catcher in the Rye Should be Included in the Curriculum

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    The discontent about The Cather in the Rye is due to vulgar language and sexual themes within the novel. The vulgar and inappropriate content does not prevent the reader from comprehending themes, symbols, and lessons and underlying meaning of the novel. In the novel, the main character, Holden, goes through many experiences that are deemed as inappropriate and are evident to the reader. But once the reader searches and analyzes the underlying meaning of the novel and situations and how Holden reacts to these situations, there is a great deal of redeeming and positive value from the novel. This then further supports the themes and symbols presented in the novel. While people may see the main character as someone who is dimwitted and possesses no ethical standards, he faces such scenarios which put that to the test and prove it wrong. And from that, students can learn the theme of individuality and coming of age. In ...

    Read More

  • Essay On The Red Hunting Hat

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye tells an unforgettable story of teenage angst by highlighting the life of Holden Caulfield, a young boy who commences a journey of self-discovery after being expelled from his private boarding school. Throughout the novel, Holden struggles with issues such as self-identity, loss, and a wavering sense of belonging. Holden’s red hunting hat is consistently used throughout the story as a symbol of his independence and his attachment to his childhood.

    Read More

  • Free Catcher in the Rye Essays: Holden as the Typical Teenager

    1021 Words  | 3 Pages

    Holden Caulfield, portrayed in the J.D. Salinger novel Catcher in the Rye as an adolescent struggling to find his own identity, possesses many characteristics that easily link him to the typical teenager living today. The fact that the book was written many years ago clearly exemplifies the timeless nature of this work. Holden's actions are those that any teenager can clearly relate with. The desire for independence, the sexually related encounters, and the questioning of ones religion are issues that almost all teens have had or will have to deal with in their adolescent years. The novel and its main character's experiences can easily be related to and will forever link Holden with every member of society, because everyone in the world was or will be a teen sometime in their life.

    Read More

  • Holden's Influenced

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another part where Phoebe shows her influence on Holden is when Holden states, “… the kids were trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she’d fall off the horse. The thing… is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it…if they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them.” Holden feels that by letting Phoebe ride alone, he will make good for her, something that his parents did not give him. At the same time, Holden reveals his feelings towards his Allie, who he loves and takes care of.

    Read More

  • The Catcher In The Rye

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1950 J.D. Salenger captures one of society’s tragedies, the breakdown of a teenager, when he wrote The Catcher In The Rye. Holden Caulfield, a fickle “man” is not even a man at all. His unnecessary urge to lie to avoid confrontation defeats manhood. Holden has not matured and is unable to deal with the responsibility of living on his owe. He childishly uses a hunter’s hat to disguise him self from others. The truth of his life is sad and soon leads to his being institutionalized. He tries to escape the truth with his criticisms. Knowing he will never meet his parents’ expectations, his only true friend is his eight-year-old sister Phoebe, to whom Holden tells that he really wants to be ‘the catcher in the rye”. Holden admits his only truth and shows that Phoebe is his only friend. Another form of escape for Holden is his acting, which he uses to excuse the past. Holden has tried to lie, hide, and blame his way through life; when he finds that it is not the answer he collapses.

    Read More

  • Holden's Fear in The Catchter in the Rye

    529 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Catcher in the Rye Holden fears growing up he will get uncomfortable when talking about adult situations, he would avoid seeing people just to avoid an adult predicament. Whether it will be a confrontation with his sister, or talking about a racy book with an adult he always seems to get timid. He is not quite yet ready for adulthood. This is something he needs to get ready for soon. He is 16 going on 17 and before he knows it he will be a grown up and will have to support himself and have a steady job. That involves communication.

    Read More

  • Examples Of An Immature Man In Catcher In The Rye

    658 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Holden's Fear of Change in The Catcher in the Rye

    1906 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... narrator, those events triggered a moment of hesitation where the narrator had to make a choice, leave his old lifestyle and pursue a relationship with the girl, or he can continue his free lancing and not take things seriously. The narrator changes, but the girl becomes what he was, a seventeen year old who doesn’t take things seriously. When Holden gives Phoebe his red hunting hat, he is making her the next ‘catcher in the rye’. He grows into adulthood and he takes Phoebe as his replacement by giving her the red hunting hat, which symbolizes the role. Both Holden and the narrator grow into new roles and give up their old roles to women. Although, they both give up their roles and grow into adulthood to the same women who helped and influenced them to grow up. These characters helped the protagonists overcome their fear of change and finally turn them into adults.

    Read More

  • Holden Caulfield: Dynamic or Static?

    659 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Holden's Perception of Others in Catcher in the Rye

    1179 Words  | 3 Pages

    Holden shows a particular liking towards children over adults. He values the innocence and authenticity of children and he tries to protect them from the phoniness and evil of the world. When he goes back to his old school at the end of the novel to give a note to Phoebe, he sees an obscenity on the wall that infuriates him. He says, "Somebody'd written `F*** you' on the wall. It drove me near damn crazy. I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see it, and then finally some dirty kid would tell them-all cockeyed, about it and maybe even worry about it for a couple of days. I kept wanting to kill whoever'd written it" (201). When Holden's sister Phoebe demands that he tell her one thing that he really likes, Holden's responds saying, "I like Allie...And I like doing what I'm doing right now. Sitting here with you, and talking and thinking about stuff..." (171), showing that he's most content in the simple and innocent world of his childhood.

    Read More

  • Catcher In The Rye Argumentative Essay

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    Which is the kind of world he wants to live in. Holden expresses his desire to preserve the innocence of others when his sister Phoebe tells Holden that he doesn't like anything, and that he has no ambitions of what he wants to be when he is older. Holden then explains that he wants to be the catcher in the rye. He says that he imagines little children playing on top of a hill and that his job is to protect children from falling of the hill. This symbolizes catching children from losing their innocence and falling into the adult world. Holden tells Phoebe, “I know it crazy, but that is the only thing I’d like to be” (172). This unrealistic desire is contributes to why Holden is struggling to transition from adolescence to adulthood. Critics of the novel have said Holden would like to suspend time stating, “Holden's desire to protect children shows his desire for suspending time, for inhabiting a space of young people conserved endlessly” (Yahya 3). Not letting go of childhood memories or accepting the harsh realities of adulthood are damaging when transitioning from

    Read More

More about Holden's Fear Of Growing Up In The Cather In The Rye

Open Document