Is It Time to Fly Away? The transition from childhood to adulthood presents one of life’s most drastic changes. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, wrestles to grow as a person throughout the novel. Holden at sixteen, is two years from what society considers adulthood, yet he struggles to grasp maturity. He regresses, and acts more childlike as his journey unfolds. Although Holden has reached adulthood physically, Salinger represents Holden’s fear of becoming an adult emotionally through the metaphor of the Central Park ducks. Holden’s concerns about the well-being of the ducks during the wintertime symbolizes his fear of a disappearing childhood. Towards the end of the novel, Holden asks a cab driver, …show more content…
She wouldn’t move any of her kings. What she’d do, when she’d get a king, she wouldn’t move it. She’d just leave it in the back row. She’d get them all lined up in the back row. Then she’d never use them. She just liked the way they looked when they were all in the back row. (Salinger 31-32) Holden’s detailed memories further proves how he clings to his past. In fact, Holden’s recollections occurred when Stradlater spoke of Jane in a sexual sense; it seemed Holden adhered to the memory of playing checkers with Jane to avoid seeing her in this new, adult way. Holden ponders a critical question; who, if anyone, will take care of him as an adult? Holden, thinking about the ducks during a difficult situation says, “I wondered if some guy came in a truck and took them [the ducks] away to a zoo something. Or if they just flew away” (Salinger 13). Here, the ducks are a metaphor for Holden’s independence, because they are flying away without the help of the zoo keeper, who symbolizes the adult whose job it is to take care of the child. Holden’s need for an adult to take care of him appears at other points in the novel as well. Old Spencer, Holden’s history teacher, flunked him for his mediocre work. Holden, feeling betrayed, responds angrily, “Grand. There’s a word I really hate. It’s a phony” (Salinger 9). Holden once more lapses into a childish state, telling the reader what he dislikes about Old Spencer when his former teacher demands that Holden take responsibility for his …show more content…
For example, Holden says, “I was wondering if it [the lagoon] would be frozen over when I got home, and if it was, where did the ducks go” (Salinger 13). Throughout Salinger’s novel, Holden asks himself and many others questions about the ducks. These questions never get answered, and each time he asks, his frustration increases. From this behavior, Holden demonstrates his incapacity to live with uncertainty. Later, Holden informs the reader, “For one thing, I figured I ought to get some breakfast. I wasn’t hungry at all, but I figured I ought to at least eat something” (Salinger 196). Holden’s lack of initiative shows his refusal to act like an adult. Holden’s “inner child” still has a strong hold on him despite his outward, physical adult
Since Holden was isolated from his family, in order to not get hurt again he tries to find hypocrisy in people to stop himself from trusting others. Holden feels isolated after being sent to a boarding school that “was full of phonies” by his parents (Salinger 90). Salinger’s message to the audience with this quote is that when
Immaturity of Holden in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye 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.
It takes many experiences in order for an immature child to become a responsible, well-rounded adult. In J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger’s main character Holden Caulfield matures throughout the course of the novel. In the beginning of the novel, Holden is a juvenile young man. However, through his experiences, Holden is able to learn, and is finally able to become somewhat mature by the end of the novel. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield’s story represents a coming of age for all young adults.
At several points during the course of the novel, Holden asks as to what happens to the ducks who are normally on a pond in Central Park, when winter comes and the water freezes. On page 60, Holden asks, "You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? That little lake? By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over?
In J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is seen by some critics a a drop out student destined for failure in life, but I see him as a symbol of an adolescent who struggles to adapt to the reality of adulthood.
Growing up is not easy. The desire to slow down or stop the process is not unusual for adolescents. Resisting adulthood causes those who try to run away from it to eventually come to terms with the reality of life: everyone has to grow up, and fighting against it makes it much harder to accept in the end. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield often tries to resist the process of maturity in an effort to avoid the complicated life he might face as an adult, making him an unusual protagonist for a bildungsroman; this struggle, however, opens Holden’s eyes to the reality and inevitability of growing up, helping him realize that innocence does not last forever. Holden’s preference of a simplistic lifestyle is evident throughout the novel, but stands out especially when he visits the Museum of Natural History.
Holden’s first interaction in New York comes after his realization that he is completely alone and enters a cab. He attempts to make a connection with the driver, Horwitz. Holden asks the cab driver “By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over?”(Salinger 60). Holden when referring to the ducks is covering up his insecurity on how he will end up. Holden before he is anything else is a kid and often it is forgotten because of his very pessimistic view of the world. This moment
Holden does not do well in school because he longs for his disappearing childhood and cannot accept the fact that one day he is going to have to stop “act[ing] like [he is] about thirteen.” (Salinger, 15) Holden couldn’t handle the transition between his childhood without pain or struggle and his teenage life with the burden of responsibility, and that eventually created an uncertainty of the future which led to much suffering for
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.
The beauty of youth lies in its transience as well as its existence as a painful but necessary transition to adulthood. Whether internal or external, people will always experience turmoils during youth. How each person copes with these difficulties becomes his or her own definition of youth. In The Catcher In the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is a seventeen-year-old who describes his and others’ youths from a sanatorium. Salinger uses symbolism, diction, and Holden’s point of view to express that youth is not youth without pain.
At first glance, J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye simply tells the story of Holden Caulfield, who is often characterized as annoying and whiny by the people around him. The anti-hero frequently speaks on impulse, making quick and often inaccurate observations of others. Holden’s immature and overly critical attitude turns off those he encounters, who are displeased with how callow he is. However, what these characters fail to understand is that there is actually a sort of sophistication behind Holden’s reasoning. In fact, throughout the novel, Holden disguises his maturity through outward displays of childishness.
Holden Caulfield, a charismatic teenager from New York City, recounts his excursion in the novel, The Catcher in the Rye. After fleeing from Pencey Prep boarding school as a result of his expulsion, Holden commences his lonely three-day journey into New York City. Holden’s brother and best friend, Allie, died of leukemia in the Caulfield’s summer home in Maine. This heartrending event emotionally obliterates Holden at a young age. Because he feels adulthood taints purity and leads to death, Holden becomes the catcher in the rye, saving all children from the cruelness of adulthood. “A point central to the novel is that Holden is the innocent youth in a world of cruel and hypocritical adults” (Bloom 21). To aspire to stay young forever renders
Holden’s resistance to mature and desire to keep others from maturing, constantly leaves him feeling isolated and disoriented. These recurring feelings as well as his superego give rise to impulsive actions and rage, working as a defense mechanism against threats to his psyche. An example of a moment in which Holden endures a feeling of depression due to the loss of one’s innocence being his thought of, “The salesman probably just thought she was a regular girl when she bought it. It made me feel sad as hell—I don't know why, exactly” (Salinger 96). Holden describes Sunny as adolescent, so that thought as well as the idea of her profession leaves him with that recurring feeling of depression and helplessness. This thought leads to no further sexual advance towards her although his anger and frustration towards the situation is soon present after encountering Maurice. Holden’s repeating problem with his own feelings of sorrow towards the lack of innocence directly result in hasty actions as well as his continuous
For example he has many sexual desires towards things he would think is perverted. For example, when he stays at Edmont, he openly admits, "It's really too bad that so much crumby stuff is a lot of fun sometimes." (pg. 12) On the other hand, in some aspects Holden proves to the reader that he does not wish to grow up. In the novel, the ducks become a huge symbol of his innocence and his life. He is constantly concerned about the ducks in the lagoon and where they go in the winter. Just like the ducks, Holden is always wondering where is he going to go in life and what the future may hold for him. He wonders if someone will guide him in the right path or if it is an instinct that he will lead himself. In addition, the lake itself is also somewhat symbolic to Holden's life because the lake is always changing from frozen to melted as Holden is transitioning from childhood to adulthood. When Holden goes to visit the Museum of Natural History, he explains that he likes the museum because it will always be the same each time he visits, ”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, and that Eskimo would still be just finished catching those two fish, the birds would still be on their way south, the deer would still be drinking out of that water hole, with their pretty antlers and their pretty, skinny legs, and that squaw with the naked bosom would still be weaving that same blanket" (pg. 121) Holden expresses that he wishes that he lived in the museum because nothing would change and time would stand still. This way, Holden would never have to grow up and remain
J. D. Salinger’s novel, Catcher in the Rye explores the ambiguity of the adult world Holden must eventually learn to accept. Throughout the novel, Holden resists the society grownups represent, coloring his childlike dreams with innocence and naivety. He only wants to protect those he loves, but he cannot do it the way he desires. As he watches Phoebe on the carousel, he begins to understand certain aspects of truth. He writes: