Examples Of Maturity In Catcher In The Rye

Holden Caulfield is the protagonist in J.D. Salengers, The Catcher in the Rye. Due to his lack of maturity, he fears adulthood. He believes it to be superficial, however he simply does not understand it. Early in the novel we witness Holden’s attempts to protect his innocence and individuality, by running away or isolating himself. However this approach throws Holden into a deep depression and his only way out is to accept life for what it is. That growing up is inevitable and you cannot change the evils of the world. Towards the final chapters of the book we begin to see Holden’s advancing maturity as he comes to terms with crossing over to the adult world.
Early in the novel Holden buys himself a red hunting hat. This represents his need

After what he called a “perverty” experience with Mr Anotlini, things went downhill again with Holden. He was walking along the sidewalk and said, “Every time I came to the end of a block and stepped off the goddam curb, I had this feeling that I’d never get to the other side of the street.” This plays on his fantasy of “the catcher in the rye”, he begins to fear that he is falling off the cliff off childhood as he steps off the curb. Holden then makes the following decision, “…I decided I’d go away. I decided I’d never go home again and I’d never go away to another school again. ” He writes Phoebe a letter to say he’s running away and would like to say goodbye to her. He goes to deliver it at her school. This is where Holden presents us with acts of maturity and he begins to gain better understanding of the

The carousel brings back memories of his joyful childhood. He also loved to see Phoebe radiating innocence. When he sees Phoebe trying to grab for the Golden ring he grows concerned that she may injure herself. However he says, “The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it. And not say anything. If they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them. This is where his fantasy of being, “The catcher in the rye” ends. At this point he realizes that he can’t protect his sister’s innocence as he wishes. Firstly because growing up is inevitable and secondly she will have to learn about the “ugliness” of the world on her own just as he did. We see Holden’s maturity in the chapter as he shows a large amount of responsibility over Phoebe. When Phoebe offers for him to ride the carousel, he doesn’t go as he knows now that he is no longer a