How Does Holden Illustrate The Mass Confusion Of Adolescence

If there is one story that society loves, it’s a coming-of-age story. A tale that follow a young protagonist (usually a teenager), and chronicles life as he or she grows into a mature and advanced individual. One famous, and rather unconventional, story of this nature is J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye. In this book, the main character, Holden Caulfield, has a bit of an episode, and feels near hopeless at times as he struggles with his own adolescence. In order to tie Holden’s individual strife with the mayhem of every adolescent mind to form one central message, Salinger relies on a number of novel-based elements. Specifically, he illustrates the complexity and uncertainty associated with the transformation into an adult through

First, Holden tries time and time again to form a meaningful connection with the people around him, but always fails at doing so. He came very close to it at one point in the story, while on a date with Sally Hayes. However, at the last minute he sabotaged any chance he had, “‘C'mon, let's get outa here,’ I said. ‘You give me a royal pain in the ass, if you want to know the truth,’” (148). This insult was Holden’s defense mechanism: he knew it would piss off Sally, and knew she would leave him after that. Similarly, many young adults go through experiences such as this, where they get scared of becoming too close to people, and break off their relations. On the other hand, sometimes the sheer awkwardness of the situation breaks off the relation for them. It is just more of the confusion that characterizes maturing. Furthermore, Holden’s distinct issues with relationships stem from a much darker place: the death of his young brother, Allie. He adored him, “He was two years younger than I was, but he was about fifty times as intelligent,” (43). This adoration was what led to the loss being so incredibly crushing. Consequently, Holden developed a deep-rooted fear of intimacy, just in case the ones he love “disappear”, just as Allie did. On a side note, Allie’s passing led to a plethora of insecurities for Holden, even tying into the cause for his

One strong recurring symbol are the ducks in central park. Holden constantly questions their actions, “I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over,” (16). These ducks represent disappearance, specifically of people, a concept that Holden wrestles with due to the sudden death of his brother. He doesn’t understand why people (and the ducks) vanish from his world, or where they go, and he wonders if they will ever come back to him, especially when thinking about Allie. Comparatively, most juveniles will face some sort of disappearance as they age, as people usually fade in and out of their lives. This is simply the way the world works, and most teens are not mature enough to accept it. Instead, the concept perturbs them. Also, the idea of change takes many symbols in Catcher. One of which is the Museum of Natural History, a beloved spot for Holden, “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was,” (135). The museum is the one thing in Holden’s life that never really changes, and Holden despises change. Analogously, there is no time more inconsistent than adolescence. This is the bulk of confusion that a teenager faces, disoriented by their changing bodies and drastically changing view of society. On top of this, the way they are viewed by the world changes; they are