Catcher In The Rye Childhood Essay

The Catcher and the Rye a novel by J.D Salinger exposes the reader to the recurring theme of Holden refusing to let go of his childhood. After the death of his younger brother Allie, Holden refuses to let go of his memory and continues to act as a child. This idea is first really developed when Holden asks his taxi driver about the Central Park ducks. This is not the first time that Holden has been interested in the Central Park ducks. The driver Horwitz explains that the ducks can fly away, but it really it is the fish that Holden should be thinking about. The fish are representative of children and the ducks are representative of adults with the pond being the parental figure that raised the child. The reason that Holden is so curious about

Holden makes up some story about having surgery on his clavichord. The clavichord a small, rectangular keyboard instrument, not a part of the human body. The point being that only a child would make up something as ridiculous as this. Moreover, Holden would refuse to let Sunny the prostitute provide her service because he still has the mindset of a child. Holden even said himself that even though he has had the opportunity, Holden is still a virgin. Holden says that he has “... had quite a few opportunities to lose [his] virginity and all, but [he has] never got around with it yet. Something always happens.”(92). Why would Holden, a hormone driven 16 year old boy, give up every opportunity to lose his virginity when he has had the opportunity more than once? The reason is that he is still in the mind of a child. Only a child, at least hopefully, would obey everything that is told to them. Holden said that whenever he is with a girl that she says no. Any other 16 year old boy, for example Stradlater, would jump at the opportunity to have special fun time with a girl. However, because Holden has the mind of a child, he turns down the opportunity. Finally, Holden argued with Arthur Childs about The Bible. They would argue that one of Jesus’ disciples, Judas, would go to Hell or Heaven. Holden would bet one thousand dollars that “...Jesus never