How Does The Adults Influence Holden's Path To Adulthood

Adolescent behaviors are often influenced by the adults around them, and each action taken can shape an adolescent and have a very long-lasting impact on their future. In J.D. Salinger’s novel, The catcher in the Rye, Holden Caufield gets kicked out of his private school. To avoid confronting his parents, he goes to New York. Holden is a complex character and he struggles with his emotions. On top of that, the actions the adults in his life take also make him think that grown-ups are all phony and corrupt. Throughout the book, Holden questions who he is and while doing that becomes very isolated. As readers reflect on Holden's story, they are prompted to consider the complexities of the journey toward maturity and the obstacles that can emerge on the path to adulthood. Salinger’s portrayal of the adult characters in the book displays the idea that their actions, such as being ingenuine, insincere, and uninterested play a crucial role in leading to Holden’s downfall, emphasizing how they influence Holden by affecting his morals into adulthood, as well as his flaws.

In chapter 7, after he comes back from Ackley’s room, he decided to start packing to leave Pencey. He mentions that one thing depressed him about packing and he said, “She bought me the wrong kind of skates--I wanted racing skates and she bought hockey--but it made me sad anyway” (Salinger 33). The relationship he has with his mother is debilitated and she doesn’t pay enough attention to what he wants. Holden already thinks that adults are phony and not interested in him or what he has to say, but his mother made that even more clear. It is obvious that the smallest actions taken by adults have an impact on an adolescent's emotions. However, the lack of interest is not the only thing that shapes Holden's view of adults, their insincerity and ingenuity also change how he looks at