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Theme Of Growth In Catcher In The Rye

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At first glance, it may seem that Holden lacks growth throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger because his pessimistic attitude toward life does not change. However, when we look closer, this idea does not account for all of Holden’s problems with the world. Significant growth is demonstrated in Holden’s shift in perspective about protecting the youth. Holden’s change in the way he thinks about growing up displays Holden’s change throughout The Catcher in the Rye. Before Holden’s growth, he dreams of shielding the youth from the uncertainties of adulthood. He has a hard time accepting his brother's fate and the fact that people are bound to grow up. Instead of recognizing the fact that this is the natural course of life …show more content…

After he undergoes his change, he has less of a desire to shield children and more of a sense of acceptance that people will have to face adulthood. When Holden is at the zoo with his sister Phoebe, she decides to ride the carousel. While she is riding the carousel, Holden has a fantasy of Phoebe falling off the carousel if she goes to grab the gold ring. He realizes that he cannot control if that happens or not and that “if [the kids] fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them” (211). Holden’s willingness to accept the uncontrollable parts of life displays his growth since the beginning of the book. Kids will still grow up and go through hardships, and nothing that he does will change that, so stopping them from growing up will do more harm than good. The person he finally learns this from is his sister, Phoebe. In addition, he learns something else that makes him happy from her. That thing is Phoebe. When Holden goes back home to see her, Holden “[dances] with her for a while,” which is the first time Holden has been truly happy during the book (175). In addition, Holden can show his emotions around Phoebe. He “[starts] to cry” right in front of her, which is another thing he has not done much during the book (179). Student 2 argues that “ Holden actually [allows] himself to become close with Phoebe,” which has had a positive impact on

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As a result of this, Phoebe is forced to mature faster than a child her age normally would. Holden notes this on page 217 saying, “She sounds like a goddamn schoolteacher sometimes, and she’s only a little child.” Phoebe has to be more grown up than she should be because she has to take care of herself and those around her. She doesn’t have the same maternal care most children her age do, so she must provide herself and Holden with that care. She takes on the role of almost an older sibling to Holden, offering him advice and money when he needs it.

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481 Words | 2 Pages

Holden view his sister as genuine and honest, not a “phony” like almost everyone else. When he arrives back in New York, one of his first thoughts is that he would like to call and speak with her. In the end of the novel, when Holden is getting ready to start his new life he decides he cannot leave without saying goodbye. Phoebe is the only character in the book who he actually cares about and sees no flaws in. He holds onto Phoebe so much because unlike everyone else surrounded by him, she still has her

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1067 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout Holden’s journey, Phoebe seems to be one of his only supporters that loves him unconditionally. Phoebe provides Holden a safe space where he can be himself and she will love him no matter what. He knows that all she wants for him is to be happy which lets him almost idolize her. As a person, Holden’s main goal is to save children from adulthood where they could lose their innocence. In children and those nuns, he sees qualities that he has lost and he admires them most for being able to retain them.

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1017 Words | 5 Pages

Even though Phoebe is mature in her intellectual aspect, she is actually still young in an emotional way, in that “she’s very emotional, for a child” (Salinger 68). This shows how Phoebe is still immature and innocent, but that is what Holden truly admires and wishes he could regain. He too is very emotional, but finds it difficult to communicate his emotions to others except for Phoebe. Phoebe brings Holden happiness and peace because he praises her nature and wishes he could still

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461 Words | 2 Pages

At the end of the book, Holden goes to his little sister Phoebe for acceptance. She is one of the only people in his life that accepts him for who he is. Although he had been kicked out of school again, Phoebe just wants to spend time with her brother. Because she accepts him, he decides to stay in New York with his family, and the experience makes him act like an adult. Once he was with her he felt “so damn happy all of a sudden”(Salinger 233).

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1025 Words | 5 Pages

Holden wants his sister, Phoebe, to see an everlasting childhood, but Phoebe is a strong character that does not think the same way as Holden, she has no desire to keep her childhood for long since she knows that one day she will grow into an adult. Phoebe helps Holden by comforting him with being “the catcher in the rye” who saves kids from falling. She has a good understanding that one must move on because for her Allie is dead and that people should need to interact and not try to save something that is completely

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Holden’s Journey of Imperfection Writer, C.S Lewis once said, “Someday you will be old enough to read fairy tales again.” Growing up is not about behaving in a certain way or being as smart as someone twice your age. Growing up is discovering that you have been sheltered from the negative people and places of the world. In Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, the main character Holden goes through a period of time where he is questioning what actually is going on in the world around him. He begins to spiral out when he discovers the world is not the perfect wonderland he once believed it to be.

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Phoebe understands that growing up is a necessary part of life, a concept that Holden does not agree with. Phoebe is portrayed as the center of the family and the one who keeps the family together. Holden's inability to separate himself from home can be seen by his lack of confidence, or 'his utter dependence on personal relationships" (Bradbury). Holden's desire to protect innocence is also seen in his relationships with other characters in the novel. He is especially concerned for children who are exposed to adult concepts, such as sex and alcohol.

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643 Words | 3 Pages

Unlike his peers who may strive to become teachers or doctors, Holden describes a path in which in reality he can never pursue. In fact, his whole scheme for his future is based on a misinterpretation of a popular song. He does not understand the process of growth and

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The reason that Holden Caulfield is always trying to stop kids from growing up in the first place is because he want’s to protect them, and shelter them from the bad things in the world. By the end of the novel Holden realizes that he can’t protect kids all the time or save their innocence. Holden comes right out and say’s that you can’t protect kids, or their innocence when Phoebe is riding the carousel toward the end of the book, Holden 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, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them". This quote is one reason that proves Holden was successful throughout his journey in the

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1093 Words | 5 Pages

When Holden tries to order alcohol in the Lavender Room of his hotel, the waiter says he is too young. Holden then thinks to himself, “They lose their jobs if they get caught selling to a minor. I’m a goddam minor,” (70). Holden sees the adult world as very strict and ruling. He believes that it is in the choice of one’s own self to make his/her own decisions—why he favors the freedom of a child/childhood.

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656 Words | 3 Pages

Holden says that all he want to do is be the catcher in the rye protecting children from falling. The whole novel Holden makes observation around him that are taking away from children's innocence. This is what upsets him the most the fact that everyone will eventually have to grow up. While he is trying to go get Phoebe he is reminded this in the following quote. “I went down by a different staircase, and I saw another "Fuck you" on the wall.

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976 Words | 4 Pages

Holden’s relationship with his younger sister, Phoebe, helps explain his desire to maintain childhood innocence. His older brother D.B. represents all the aspects of adulthood that

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742 Words | 3 Pages

Death is a major reason why he is dedicated to holding onto childhood innocence, as he cannot accept that children grow into adulthood only to end up dying. It is clear that Holden loves Allie very much, and he has a hard time accepting Allie’s death. As a result, he grows a desire to hold onto childhood because with growing up comes death. Finally, the pivotal moment in which Holden demonstrates maturity is when he watches his younger sister, Phoebe, ride on a carousel. He notices that “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 goddam horse, but I didn't say anything or do anything.

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776 Words | 4 Pages

Occasionally, Holden acts upon these thoughts; however, it’s not always for the best. Holden’s thoughts often come back to his younger sister, Phoebe, as he can’t bear to think of her

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