Soha Tariq Ms. Mac ENG3U 6 March 2023 Holden Caulfield’s Psychoanalytic Examination One of the largest themes in Holden’s life is his inability to grow up. Throughout the book, many readers can tell that Holden lacks maturity, and is obviously afraid of adulthood. This can be portrayed by how Holden says, “The best thing, though, in that museum was the everything always stayed right where it was.” (Salinger, 121). This shows how he wants everything to stay in place, such as himself, meaning not growing up. This quote also represents his desire to resist change and his preference for purity in childhood over the unpredictable nature of maturing/adulthood. A symbol that was reoccurring throughout the book were the ducks in central …show more content…
To be more specific, he can be considered as the “Naïf” type, also known as naïve. Many scenes throughout the book suggest that Holden is naïve. His naïve tendencies are portrayed usually through his obsession with labelling most people he meets, “phonies”. Holden said, “One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies.” (Salinger, 13). This shows that Holden doesn’t understand the way society works through societal norms, and how he lacks the basic maturity skills to understand everything functions around him. Another example of Holden being naïve would be when it comes to women. He consistently talks about sex and women, but whenever his time comes, he mostly backs out. Such as in the scene, “I just didn’t want to do it. I felt more depressed than sexy.” (Salinger, 96). This shows how Holden is naïve towards the subject of sex, since he thinks he’s ready, but he’s not. Furthermore, proving he’s afraid to grow up. As the book progresses, Holden stresses childhood innocence. He tells Phoebe that, “I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all.” (Salinger, 173). His obsession with being the catcher in the rye shows that he didn't want children to get caught up in the corrupt and complex world of adulthood, so he desired them to stay kids and preserve their innocence. Thus, proving Holden is naïve to the idea of losing his childhood innocence, since he’s being “forced” into