How Does Holden Change Throughout The Catcher In The Rye

Holden goes through many different changes throughout the novel and becomes very different from how he was at the start. Although many would argue that he does not change and that by the end of the novel, there is no development. There is a lot of development as he continues to change throughout the novel and has many different ways of perceiving his surroundings in the end. The main reason he changes is that by the end he thinks that everyone should grow up out of their childhood, he has also gained a deeper understanding of himself, and he is finally prepared and able to fight the real world as an adult. One of the biggest things that Holden realizes towards the end of the book and throughout it is that everyone should grow up out of their childhood. He finally sees this when he sees Phoebe’s need to “grab for the Gold ring” which is when he realizes her as a maturing individual who wants to be able to live her own life. “All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she’d fall off the goddamn horse, but I didn't say anything or do anything”(Salinger 273). Hodlen at the start of the book would probably have told Phoebe to get off

He starts to realize what makes him happy and how he can keep that happiness in his life. “I felt so damn happy all of a sudden, the way old Phoebe kept going around and around. I was damn near bawling. I felt so damn happy”(Salinger 275). He is being made happy by seeing the joy in his sister and other people. This shows that he now understands himself more as he knows that happiness is important. Rather than at the beginning of the book where he was very self-centered and only cared about himself. Holden shows that he has changed by not being so self-centered and caring about other people's feelings while at the same time allowing their feelings to adjust to his