Examples Of Adulthood In Catcher In The Rye

Adulthood from a Child's Perspective

Throughout the novel, Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses symbols like the natural history museum. The confusion about where the ducks migrate during the winter and the poem "comin' thro’ the rye'' shows how Holden Caulfield is afraid of getting older because of the instability of adulthood. Catcher in the Rye is a well-known novel written about the journey of a 16-year-old after he flunks out of school. The novel teaches us that if one is not given a lot of guidance through one's life, the transition from teenager to adult can be frightening and confusing. In Holden Cauldiefs’s situation, life is terrifying. Because it's so scary, Holden has a few ways of showing the reader his fears without explicitly mentioning them. The ducks, the museum, and the poem—all of these symbols show how Holden is just a kid who doesn’t know how to grow up.

The Natural History Museum's exhibits never

Holden Caulfield has a love for children and childhood in general because children still have their innocence. Throughout the novel, you can catch Holden being sweet to children and having an overall admiration for them. After sneaking into his parents' house, Holden fantasizes with Phoebe about his future and says, "I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do is catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going, I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all" (Salinger, 93). Even then, it's evident that he wishes he could keep kids from becoming adults and feeling the need to be "phony." Holden wants to keep children. Because he wants to keep them from feeling the way that he’s feeling as he gets closer to