The More Things Change The More They Stay The Same

In the story, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield had to go through many changes to become the person he is at the end of the story. The many changes he went through matured him into a man that accepts life. Holden in the story went through many obstacles to survive when he ran away from home. The death of his brother Allie contributed to a personality change.

Also, Holden had to deal with some interesting characters including Maurice a pimp.

The time Holden spent alone was one of the main reasons he became a changed man by the end of the story. Holden used profanity, drank, and he lied it was not unit he the end of the book that he was able to look back on this and convey that he was just a scared kid. When Holden was living in New York, he went through many changes. His personality remained the same as it was in the beginning of the story while he was in New York.

When he looked back on the events that took place there, he changed his views and his personality changed. Holden meets Maurice who is a pimp. When they meet, Maurice immediately tells Holden he is lonely and needs to have some “fun. ” Holden decides to take Maurice up on his offer thinking it will be good practice for him to be with a woman before he gets married. When the prostitute arrives at his room, Holden begins to judge her.

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He projected some of his feelings on her. He realized he did not want to have relations with her and decides to pay her but not have sex.

When she asks for ten dollars, he insists that they agreed upon five dollars. Thinking that he just got out of trouble, Maurice comes in and starts to yell at Holden. While he was yelling, the prostitute takes the money. The reason that this had an effect on Holden’s personality later is he finally learns that bad stuff things sometimes happen and he needs to remember people like Maurice and the prostitute. One may believe that Holden did not change at all in the story, but throughout the story Holden dreams of being the catcher in the rye.

What this means is he wants to stand by a cliff and wait for kids to almost fall off and catch them. This is a metaphorical display of his longing to stop children being corrupted by a corrupt world. In reality, it is Holden that is the one about to fall off the cliff of adolescence into adulthood. Holden is the one on the cusp of adulthood. The death of Holden’s brother is the main reason for Holden’s change in personality and view of life. Holden’s brother, Allie, died when he was 11.

Holden always told his Mom that she never let go of what happened to Allie. Actually, Holden was the one that did not let go. While at his brother’s grave, during the funeral, it began it rain. Everyone ran away to stay dry but Holden could not move because he felt so bad about Allie’s death that he could not move. He stayed there with his brother wearing his red hat. This showed that he finally accepted everything including his grief, his pain, and his place in the world. This was a change in personality. It means he was becoming a man.

The more things change, the more they stay the same is not correct in Holden’s case. Holden is a troubled teenager and later realizes that he has to stop judging people and being childish. He realizes this by the end of the book. He also misses the people that he met in his venture in New York. He realizes that all of these people had an effect on his life that made him different. There is a quote that says, “The only thing that does not change is that things change. ” In the case of Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye, that quote is true.