In J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye," the protagonist Holden Caulfield struggles with his own perception of maturity and innocence. Holden's journey can be seen as a struggle between his impulsive, idealistic desires and the sobering realities of the adult world. His hate for the phoniness of adulthood and his idealization of childhood innocence are at odds with his deep yearning to find a purpose worth living for. Holden tries to pave a path toward maturity, as he navigates the complexities of a world that seems at once too corrupt and too innocent. In "The Catcher in the Rye," Holden Caulfield is really caught up in how he sees being grown-up versus staying young. He's torn between wanting to be this hero for something big and just …show more content…
... And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff" (Salinger, 173). This vision captures his deep desire to protect childhood innocence from the fall into the cynicism of adult life. Holden sees himself as the guardian at the precipice, preventing them from tumbling over the edge into the complexities and phoniness of adulthood. It's a powerful testament to his internal struggle and his wish to save others from the loss of innocence he himself is experiencing. Holden's interactions with his sister Phoebe highlight his view on innocence. He adores her purity and enthusiasm for life, saying, "You should've seen her. She was terrific" (Salinger, 67). This moment shines because it shows how much he cherishes genuine qualities in people, especially the innocence of youth. Phoebe represents the simplicity and honesty that Holden longs for in the world around him. His relationship with her is a safe keep from his disillusionment with the adult world, a place where he can still see the good in people and feel hope. It's a huge contrast to the more complicated and often disappointing interactions he has with others throughout the
In The Catcher in The Rye, by J.D, the main character, Holden, can be seen as a troubled teenager growing up in a less than perfect society. Throughout the novel Holden struggles with the fact that many young and innocent kids will grow up and see the world from a different perspective. He naturally becomes worried for all future generations who will one day grow, as he did, and loose their innocence. The fixation of youth and innocence can be seen in the title of the book, as well as throughout the novel.
Bored and lonesome, Holden sits in his apartment watching kids shows and movies. He laughs at every joke the show or movie makes and he cries as he watches sad things on the the show or movie. Holden Caulfield is a sixteen year old boy in The Catcher in the Rye and he has been kicked out of many schools, including Elkton Hills High School and Pency Prep High School. He is the kind of teenager who smokes and drink at an early age. When he gets bored, he sometimes fool around to keep himself occupied. Holden has had trouble acting like an and entering into the adult world; in addition, he does not want children to grow up and enter the adult world because Holden has not accomplished anything to achieve for himself.
In fact, without Phoebe Holden’s story would not be the same to any extent. She is genuine and candid with him, very far from the “phony” characteristics Holden so intently loathes in people. Even with her blunt perspective on life, contrary to past people in Holden’s life, she is not rejected or ignored. Holden’s deep rooted obsession with Phoebe is a clear example of his extreme loneliness. The one person he feels comfortable to talk too is much younger, and is way out of reach. The character of Phoebe brings out a whole other side of Holden unseen by readers in the beginning half of the novel. The relationship between the two siblings is by far the most legitimate relationship Holden has with a person clearly more stable and everlasting than any other stints he’s had with previous friends, teachers, or relatives. Both Holden and Phoebe’s love for each is evident proving they are siblings by nature but best friends as
American author David Barry once said, “You can only be young once. But you can always be immature.” One may question how this quote applies to his or her life. However, with further analysis, it is clear that Barry is explaining that contrary to popular belief, immaturity is not defined by physical age. This easily relates to the life of Holden Caulfield, protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, which tells the story of an adolescent’s life as he struggles to accept the fact that growing up is inevitable. Throughout this classic novel, Salinger reveals that Holden is an immature teenager by showing his stream of consciousness as well as how he interacts with other characters.
It is displayed throughout the novel of how emotionally distant he is from his parents. Salinger uses Holden to convey the immature curiosity and the harsh, painful process of growing up as a typical teenager, depicting how adolescents view the adult world. Salinger portrays the mentality of typical teenagers on Holden's journey. Holden has a sterling significance
In the novel “the Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield exhibits an unwillingness and a repugnant attitude to the notion of adulthood. The death of Holden’s brother, Allie, is a deeply traumatic and jarring moment in his life. Holden’s Recollection of Allie is not just as “...the most intelligent member of the family,” Allie is also revered by Holden as “the nicest.” Holden refuses to accept the death of his beloved brother and move on, this reluctance to move forward strengthens his hostility towards the inevitable undertaking of adulthood. Moreover, Caulfield’s objection to growing up manifests itself in his schoolwork, or lack thereof. He “[flunks] four subjects” and “[knows] absolutely nothing.” He doesn’t apply himself
One of the purist times in a person’s life is childhood, during this time life is easy and often romanticized. As a person grows older the innocence and naivety of childhood begins to fade into a hardness caused by the harsh realties of adulthood. Though the transition from childhood is hard, one most remember not to rush into adulthood savor your innocence . In Catcher In the Rye , by J.D. Salinger the main character Holden Caulfield is in the transitional stage, he finds it hard for him to grow-up and act like an adult. So instead of rushing in to adulthood, he finds slowing down the process and acting less adult like is better for him. Holden finds mature adult like subjects and qualities phony, but finds innocent child like subjects
Salinger describes Holden as someone who tries to find his place in society. With the foot on the threshold of adulthood, we see Holden struggling to relinquish his connection to the innocence of childhood. He mainly feels all the adults are phony and finds children, like his sister Phoebe, innocent. That is why Phoebe is one of the only people Holden can connect with and he has a dual nature. As a young boy growing up, he tries to make connections with people, but he cannot, mainly because his standards are too high.
Holden Caulfield, the narrator and the main character of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, is a young adult, who, at first seems to simply describes his four day adventure in New York City after bring expelled from his forth school. However, at the same time he narrates more; through his many experiences, which he describes in the book, we can see the themes of the work. The theme that definitely stands out is the loss of innocence. Holden portrays himself as an individual, who does not want to grow up and change. From the beginning, it is obvious that Holden does not like anyone, except children. To Holden, the world around him, the adult world and all of its members, is phony. In other words, the innocent world of children is
Becoming an adult is a hard process that we all have to pass through. During the time of adolescence, teenagers desire to explore the adult world, but at the same time, they are sensitive and still immature in many ways. Holden, in the novel “the Catcher in the Rye” (1951) by J.D. Salinger, is an example of this condition. The novel is about, Holden Caulfield, who is 16years old, been expelled from Pencey prep school and tries experience the ‘adult world’ in New York City. When a child reads this novel, they seem to see Holden as a heroic character because he does different things as other characters do in the novel.
The Catcher in the Rye (1951) is a novel by J.D Salinger, that tells the story of a growing up kid called Holden Caulfield. The novel deals with Holden’s many problems over only a couple of days, such as his fear of growing up and him flunking school. Already in the beginning of the book, Holden can be identified as a struggling, unhappy kid. Holden is an immature, irresponsible and a troubled adolescent, that likes to see himself as a very mature person. Holden’s most prominent feature is his judging self, that likes to criticize almost anybody that happens to be around him.
In The Catcher in The Rye Mr. Antolini claims “the mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one”. The notion of maturity and growing up are some of the central themes of the book. Holden is just a young and lonely boy struggling to find his place in the world. He is fairly intelligent, but doesn’t apply himself at all. Holden is irritated by other people and has trouble connecting with them.
Holden Caulfield is the protagonist in the novel “The Catcher in the Rye”. In the book Holden hears a quote “The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he want to live humbly for one” (Salinger 188) which he embraces as he matures throughout the story. Holden’s opinions of childhood and adulthood change as he grows through experience.
Irving Howe, a literary and social critic said, “The knowledge that makes us cherish innocence makes innocence unattainable” (BrainyQuote). The Catcher in the Rye, a novel by J.D. Salinger tells of a very important part Holden Caulfield 's life. Holden, a 17 year old from New York, writes about the events that follow him flunking out of Pencey Prep School. Holden is very critical of everyone around him, except the small group of people that he protects with his life. He cherishes the youth children have, and hates the qualities that adults share. He acts very young for his age, but has the responsibilities on his shoulders that an adult would have. Holden is very defensive of other’s innocence and attempts to selfishly protect it from the
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.