Holden Caulfield Ever Comes Of Age

Question (2013) Easy 2 Catcher in the Rye

J.D. Salinger's 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, is about a sixteen-year-old boy named Holden Caulfield. Throughout the story, his doubt and strange thoughts reflect his desperation from others. His tone often sets a depressing setting. In the novel, it never reflects on Holden's past, and in the end never shown any signs of his achievements. Holden is not your typical bildungsroman protagonist, many question if Holden Caulfield ever comes of age.

Throughout the novel Holden stops himself from falling into adulthood by not trying or caring about school. As the novel begins, Holden is flunking out of school. He is failing four out of his five classes at his school Pencey Prep. He was asked not to return after Christmas break. So he left his school early and wandered around

Only Holden wouldn’t allow this and they got into an argument. She then asked Holden “do you even know what he want to be when you grow up?” He replied by saying the only thing he really wants to be is the catcher in the rye. He wants to keep little kids, who are playing in the rye, from falling off a cliff. This represents his life, his fear of falling from his childhood and his fear of losing his innocence. Holden knows he will eventually be forced out of his childhood, and that is his greatest fear. At this point in the novel you can see Holden is starting to admit he is afraid to grow up. You could almost say at this point in the book Holden finally comes of age, but he is just not quite there. He is admitting to the fact of life that he cannot just run around New York the rest of his life, it will not work. Holden told his sister he was going to run away but he didn’t. With a little persuasion by his sister he did not go, but he let go of being stubborn. He finally thought of someone other than