Peter Pan syndrome is a psychological state in which one refuses to transition from childhood to adulthood. Many people suffer from Peter Pan syndrome due to traumatic events or selfish reasons. J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan demonstrates how Peter Pan suffers from Peter Pan syndrome for selfish reasons. Instead of looking beyond his own needs, Peter Pan does whatever is in his best interest. However, Holden Caufield in J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in The Rye suffers from Peter Pan syndrome not due to selfish reasons, but because he cares about others and their childhood. Peter Pan and Holden both suffer from Peter Pan syndrome as demonstrated through the refusal to grow up, and the refusal to lose their innocence; however, Holden learns to move on while Peter Pan remains trapped in time.
Those who refuse to grow up tend to have a reason for doing so; however, sometimes people refuse to grow up due to being selfish. Peter Pan refuses to grow up because he wants to stay in Neverland and always have fun. Peter Pan does not want to face “grown up” problems because he is afraid of reality (Barrie 85). For example, Peter Pan takes Wendy with him to Neverland not because he wants to have fun, but because he needs her. Peter Pan does not have a mother or guidance around him; which is why he needs someone like Wendy to guide him, but at the same time keep him company. He tries to persuade her many times by telling her to “forget them all” (Barrie 85). Peter Pan tells Wendy, “Come with me, where you’ll never, never have to worry about grown up things again” (Barrie 85). He tells her to go with him because he does not want her to grow up; however, Peter Pan is not the only character in the novel that never wants Wendy to change. Wendy’s mother wants ...
... middle of paper ...
...ls, she falls and then she will get back up. This shows his progression from innocence to adulthood; he accepts that Phoebe may fall and he cannot prevent it. Therefore, Peter Pan refuses to lose his innocence because he does not want to face real world problems while Holden moves on because he learns that he cannot be the catcher in the rye.
Peter Pan and Holden demonstrate the idea of growing up differently, through the refusal to grow up and wanting or denying the loss of innocence. Peter Pan wants to live in a fantasy while Holden is prepared to face reality; Holden dynamically struggles then learns to triumph to adulthood while Peter Pan fails to experience change and remains trapped in time. The struggle of deciding whether change is necessary or not begs the question: is it better to live in a happy fantasy or live in a challenging, yet maturing life?
In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden, cannot accept that he must move out of childhood and into adulthood. One of Holden’s most important major problems is his lack of maturity. Holden also has a negative perspective of life that makes things seem worse than they really are. In addition to Holden’s problems he is unable to accept the death of his brother at a young age. Holden’s immaturity, negative mentality, and inability to face reality hold him back from moving into adulthood.
...eir thought processes are flawed or not. But this unwillingness to conform was what caused James’ jump out the window. Although Holden does admire James’s integrity, he also realizes that if he does not change his ways, he could end up like James. But Holden would not have someone like Mr. Antolini to help him out and cover his body. Holden must find a driving force within himself that wants to make him change. He must find a new outlook on life, and he cannot be afraid of growing up. He must set an example for Phoebe, and show her that running away or flying away from her problems are not an option. Ducks can only fly for so long. And Holden must realize that he cannot progress when he is judging all of the phonies of the world. The Catcher in the Rye must find a balance between becoming an adult, and flying away.
Have you ever pondered about when growing up, where does our childlike innocence go and what happens to us to go through this process? It involves abandoning previous memories that are close to our hearts. As we can see in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, we listen to what the main character; Holden Caulfield has to say about it. Holden is an average teenager dealing with academic and life problems. He remains untouched over his expulsion from Pencey Prep; rather, he takes the opportunity to take a “vacation.” As he ventures off companionless in New York City, we are able to observe many things about him. We see that Holden habitually states that he is depressed and undoubtedly, wants to preserve the innocence of others.
James Bryan notes that Holden is “is poised between two worlds, one he cannot return to and one he fears to enter”. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden embodies the limbo between childhood and adulthood by trying to maintain both “worlds”. For example throughout the novel Holden behaves like an adult but still behaves like a child and tries to preserve his innocence and the innocence of children. He also embodies both worlds by often contradicting himself, which shows the limbo of both worlds.
(Holden wants to be a catcher in the rye, He wants to save children from falling from a cliff . Children meaning innocence and falling down to society and losing their innocence) Elaborate
In the novel “The Catcher in the Rye”, Holden is deals with one of the largest obstacles one would ever face in one’s lifetime. He must deal with the concept of development and the idea that he’s growing up, that he’s no longer a child and must accept maturity. This internal struggle is evident in multiple aspects of this novel, particularly highlighted when Holden visits the museum and the carousel at the conclusion of the novel.
In J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, the main character Holden Caufield believes that innocence is corrupted by society. He exposes his self-inflicted emotional struggles as he is reminiscing the past. For Holden, teenage adolescence is a complicated time for him, his teenage mentality in allows him to transition from the teenage era to the reality of an adult in the real world. As he is struggling to find his own meaning of life, he cares less about others and worries about how he can be a hero not only to himself but also to the innocent youth. As Holden is grasping the idea of growing up, he sets his priorities of where he belongs and how to establish it. As he talks about how ‘phony’ the outside world is, he has specific recollections that signify importance to his life and he uses these time and time again because these memories are ones that he wont ever let go of. The death of his younger brother Allie has had a major impact on him emotionally and mentally. The freedom of the ducks in Central Park symbolize his ‘get away’ from reality into his own world. His ideology of letting kids grow up and breaking the chain loose to discover for themselves portrays the carrousel and the gold ring. These are three major moments that will be explored to understand the life of Holden Caufield and his significant personal encounters as he transitions from adolescence into manhood.
The world today is very deceptive and phony. J.D. Salinger’s well known novels, The Catcher in the Rye and Franny and Zooey attack this fake and superficial society which is evident through the lives, ideas, actions, and words expressed by the characters in these literary pieces. The transition from childhood, through adolescence and into adulthood is inevitable. The protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield goes through this stage and finds himself in a crisis. He alienates himself from everyone who is around him and tries his best not to grow up. Holden often dwells upon his childhood and the life he had with his family. Franny in Franny and Zooey has already passed this stage but finds it difficult to live in a world where everyone she is surrounded by is only concerned with outward appearances. In these worlds, both characters, Holden and Franny, reveal their struggle of growing up and trying to live as an adult in a world full of deception and shallow-minded people who only care about appearances.
Growing up and becoming mature can be an intimidating experience; it is difficult to let go of one’s childhood and embrace the adult world. For some people, this transition from youthfulness to maturity can be much more difficult than for others. These people often try to hold on to their childhood as long as they can. Unfortunately, life is not so simple. One cannot spend their entire life running from the responsibilities and hardships of adulthood because they will eventually have to accept the fact that they have a role in society that they must fulfill as a responsible, mature individual. The novel “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger follows the endeavours of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old teenage boy who faces a point in his life where he must make the transition from childhood to adulthood. In an attempt to retain his own childhood, he begins hoping to stop other young children from growing up and losing their innocence as well. As indicated by the title, “The Catcher in the Rye” is a book that explores a theme involving the preservation of innocence, especially of children. It is a story about a boy who is far too hesitant to grow up, and feels the need to ensure that no one else around him has to grow up either. His own fear of maturity and growing up is what leads to Holden’s desire to become a “catcher in the rye” so he can save innocent children from becoming part of the “phoniness” of the adult world.
The daunting face of adulthood is one that is inevitably encountered and must be confronted. In J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger depicts the disheartening journey from adolescence to adulthood that Holden Caulfield endures. Although holden seeks the freedoms that mark adulthood, he has yet to take up the role of a truly mature citizen as he is disgusted by the society conforming nature of those adults, leading him to his gradual mental decline. J. D. Salinger uses the immature character of Holden Caulfield as a means of revealing the difficult transition from adolescence to adulthood and the psychological effects that has on a person.
Holden Caulfield, the teenage protagonist of Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger, struggles with having to enter the adult world. Holden leaves school early and stays in New York by himself until he is ready to return home. Holden wants to be individual, yet he also wants to fit in and not grow up. The author uses symbolism to represent Holden’s internal struggle.
In J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, the children must learn that growing up is inevitable no matter what, shown by the experiences of Wendy, John, and the Lost Boys. Wendy chooses to leave Peter and go back to her parents in London, accepting adulthood. John gives up fighting with the pirates, his passion, to return to London and become an adult. The Lost Boys all abandon their father figure, Peter, to go to London with the Darlings and grow up into adults. In other words, growing up is a certainty that the children must accept, just as Wendy did by leaving Peter and returning to London.
Holden Caulfield, the main character in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, is a troubled teenager living in a society full of “phonies”. Throughout the course of the book Holden is trying to protect children from losing their innocence, playing his role of the catcher in the rye. What Holden ends up learning is that growing up is necessary and we all end up falling. Salinger demonstrates use of physical description of falling which leads to a metaphorical fall for Holden.
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.
Growing up poses challenges to most people at some point in their lives. 16-year-old Holden Caufield is no exception. He is an apathetic teenager who’s flunked out of many schools. Underneath the cynical exterior though, Holden is troubled. He has different methods for escaping his problems but in the end they just cause him more problems. J.D Salinger, in his novel The Catcher in the Rye shows that often times when an individual faces problems in their life they will try to find a means to escape, instead of solving them.