Childhood and Adulthood in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Childhood and Adulthood in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Holden Caulfield sees childhood as the ideal state of being. He thinks adulthood is filled with corrupt people. The only way anyone can win in the adult world is if the cards are stacked in his favor. The characters in The Catcher in the Rye play a diverse set of roles in the war between childhood and adulthood.

Children do not think of appearances very highly, but in order to be respected in the adult world you must always look your best. Holden did not care what people thought about him as long as he felt good. He would wear his red hunting cap backward (p. 18). He also would have his hair cut crew cut style, which is thought of as a kids haircut. Ackley is the absolute extreme of not just looking, bad but he also had terrible hygiene. He had mossy yellow teeth from not brushing them and bad acne(p.19). Adults always hide their imperfections to make themselves look good, but many are as Holden calls them, secret slobs (p. 27). Stradlater is a perfect example of this. He always shaves twice but never cleans his razor (p. 27). He will spend forever making sure his hair is perfect and all his clothes look just right. Sunny, the prostitute, bleaches her hair and dresses up nice to fit into the adult world (p.95). Mrs. Antolini, a married women, needs to look good when she goes out in public. The night Holden crashes there for a while, she looks terrible without her make-up and with rollers in her hair (p. 185). All that matters is she looks good by society's standards so she can be accepted into the adult world.

Children live on lasting compassionate memories, while adults go for empty sexual conquests. Holde...

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... living. Mr. Antolini gets through to Holden a little better but is unable to keep his attention (p 181). Carl Luce is just a few years older than Holden and basically tells him he is immature and will always be the same (p. 136).Kids really want things to stay the same while adults want things to change and grow quicker than they should.

Holden seems to be the only one fighting this war. When he makes an adult decision he always gets sick. When someone he loves makes an adult decision Holden gets very mad. The more he tries to keep kids from turning into adults the more depressed he becomes. As he goes crazy, life will become hell for him.

Childhood prolonged, cannot remain a fairyland. It becomes a hell (Louise Bogan).

Work Cited

Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1991.