The Catcher in The Rye: The Significance of Central Park
             Fear of change and the idea of disappearance can plague the most stable mind. Holden is portrayed as a distraught teenager and the fear of growing up haunts him. Significance places play a vital role by giving a great insight to the character, while also showing that it is time for him to learn a life long lesson. In the novel, The Catcher in The Rye by J. D. Salinger, the transition from childhood to adulthood is presented through the symbolism in the ducks that are found in the lagoon at Central Park.
             Holden is seen as a young boy who is trying to find who he is and if he is ready to face what the world is going to present to him. There were many aspects in his life that held him back from taking the next step out of adolescence and into adulthood. He is also show as somewhat of a pessimist in the first chapter. He says, " If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like." (Salinger, 1) Holden is showing that he has problems and feels depressed, which can be due to his brother, Allie's death. By trying to state in the beginning that he is depressed, he wanted the reader to know that there is something on his mind that is making him become distant. "So what I decided to do, I decided I'd take a room in a hotel in New York"(Salinger 51) By doing that he is trying to isolate himself from everyone and is trying to find himself. He leaves Pency Prep early because he wanted to get away from all of the "phonies" around him, but in reality he is leaving because he is preparing for the "real world" and is getting closer to leaving adolescence and he isn't ready.
             Holden has a gentle heart, but he lacks the stamina to survive out in the real world. His brother Allie's sudden death and the ducks in central park are ...