Catcher in the rye

             Holden's Rejection Towards Adulthood:
             A Rebellion in J.D Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye
             The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger is a "coming-of-age" novel about a sixteen year old boy named Holden Caulfield who is torn between childhood and adulthood. He is uncomfortable with just about everyone around him and judges them greatly. He labels them as "phony," either being too fake or too conformed. By condemning others, he feels this is his only defense to protect him self from the darkness and corruption of the adult world. Holden's behavior and attitude may give the readers the sense that Holden's view of the adult world is negative and dark. He is constantly vacillating between criticizing and giving sympathy to everyone.
             Holden's attitude reflects his rejection towards the adult world in many ways. He often speaks of innocence and relates it to children all the time.
             "I wrote about my brother Allie's baseball mitt. He was left-handed. The thing that was descriptive about it though, was that he had poems written all over the fingers and the pocket and everywhere. In green ink. He wrote them on it so that he'd have something to read when he was on the field." (Salinger, 38)
             He remembers this most about his brother because it demonstrated innocence and purity, and his sudden death was unfair to not only him but to everyone. It was very noticeable that the death of Allie traumatized Holden greatly. It most likely triggered Holden's negativity towards the adult world. When he was ever emotionally torn between child and adulthood he would reflect back on his brother Allie and children as a prime example of chastity, the kind of world Holden would prefer to live in.
             Later on in the book, readers become familiar with Holden and his troubles accepting conflicts and changes, often putting him into a lot of confusion. As he pays a visit to the museum he says
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Catcher in the rye. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 01:12, April 27, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/8696.html