Coming Of Age Archetype In The Catcher In The Rye

In J. D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye, the coming of age archetype is inevitable, as the protagonist matures greatly throughout his physical journey. Holden starts off blinding his eyes to the difficulty of accepting the loss of his brother, Allie. More Often, dark thoughts spiral out of control in Holden's mind, constantly disrupting his state of tranquility, and giving way to his physical journey. Grief causes a sense of sadness, and the deterioration of Holden; however, it does not kill him, it only makes him stronger. This journey that Holden prolongs, explains a lot about himself, and the reason for each location he attends. Through his grief, Holden reveals his "love" quest. More specifically, it shows how he changes from his

Firstly, when the author introduces Holden at first, his actions define him as pervert with strong intentions of coition. Through immature mannerisms, Holden proves himself as childish and irresponsible. Eventually he learns to wait until his heart is ready to love again before he can fully commit to having coitus with someone. Secondly, his fear of losing innocence is changing in tolerance as he learns to accept that he is growing up, but can be the kind of grownup who helps others. Holden seems to have an obsession with the thought of saving the little children that he cannot save himself, but he eventually learns that he cannot save every child and has to allow them to receive an opportunity to fall, so they can jump right back up independently. Lastly, he changes from pushing others away into bringing others closer. The protagonist at first is so afraid of loving someone because they could die or become dirty that he stops loving completely. Yet at the end he realizes that everyone he meet throughout his journey shapes him up to become who he is today and he is finally grateful. Overall, Holden Caulfield grows and matures greatly through the story by way of his physical