After rereading the entirety of “The Catcher in the Rye,” to better understand the theme of the story, I couldn’t help but discover the similarities between the novel and the story of Peter Pan. As previously mentioned, Holden discloses, at the climax of the novel, his vision of kids running around a field of rye near a cliff where Holden is the “catcher in the rye” who catches kids who seem to be falling over the edge. This vision implicitly illustrates an ideal world for Holden where kids sustain their innocence and Holden is their protector. In fact, Holden mentions how there are “Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around--nobody big, I mean--except [Holden].” In the story of Peter Pan and the Promised Neverland, Peter Pan is a child who left to the Promised Neverland where people no longer age or die. The novel by J.M Barrie …show more content…
Firstly, Holden’s and Peter Pan’s ideal worlds take place in a land far away from the real world. For Holden, it is the field of rye and for Peter Pan, it is Neverland. Secondly, these quixotic lands prevent those in it to age or grow up. For both characters, we can infer that this condition is to maintain the purity of themselves and the kids. Thirdly, Holden and Peter Pan play a larger role in their ideal world where there serve as leader and protectors of their group of kids. For them to deliberately choose a role that an adult would normally serve, we can conclude that they have lost faith in adults as a result of some trauma in their upbringing. Additionally, Peter Pan and Holden share traits such as being immature, simple-minded, and avoid responsibilities. Lastly, both novels imply an ending where both protagonists accept the duties of growing up to a certain extent. For Holden, it was attending Phoebe's play and being a role model by not running away together. For Peter Pan, it was Wendy persuading him to release the Lost Boys to the real