Catcher in the Rye Essay: Child to Adult

Child to Adult in The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a story about growing up. It explores the obstacles we all face during our transition from child to adulthood. The tragedies and triumphs, the breakthroughs and setbacks, the happiness and heartache. As you follow the book's protagonist, Holden, through his journey into adulthood, you learn about his life, but more importantly, you learn about your own. You grow to sympathize with the young rebel, and you begin to see traces of yourself in him.

This book appeals to the child in all of us because we can all remember a time we'd like to go back to; a time when making our beds was our greatest responsibility and life was something we took for granted. Unfortunately, growing up means letting go, and leaving the past behind. It means not only do things change, but the way you look at them changes. No matter how badly you wish you could stop it, time advances and the world continues to turn.

This is no exception for Holden. Thinking back on childhood memories of class trips to the museum he remarks, "The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move. You could go there a hundred thousand times....Nobody'd be different. The only thing that would be different would be you" (121). There have been times in each of our lives that we have wished we had a small cupboard of memories, all kept in little jars labeled with a time, a person, or a place we hope never to forget. Sometimes, one of the happiest and yet saddest parts of life is looking back on the part we have already lived, no matter how great or small. This is something Holden learns about life and about himself as he spends...

... middle of paper ...

...erican teenager. He tests his boundaries and learns what he's comfortable with and what he's not. He forms a lot of opinions about the world. He quickly learns that life is no fairy tale full of gum drops and candy canes. The real world is a harsh place to live, and growing up in it isn't always easy.

The book ends abruptly, leaving Holden's future up in the air. We can only imagine what's in store for him and where his travels will take him. More importantly, though, we have come to understand and sympathize with Holden's struggles, and we are sad to hear we have reached the point at which our paths part. Upon leaving, we can only hope that he is headed down the right road, and that destiny will run its course. But in reality, isn't that all that we can hope for ourselves?

Work Cited

Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Bantam Books, 1951.