From Childhood to Adulthood in Catcher in the Rye

Growing up is one of the toughest obstacles children face. Changes in physical appearance, personality, relationships, and awareness of the world overwhelm them with problems and responsibilities they never even dreamed of as children. This transition is the embodiment of a dramatic loss of innocence that introduces children to the harsh reality of adult life. JD. Salinger‘s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, tells the story of Holden Caulfield, a young man who resists the path to maturity and greatly resents society taking children’s innocence Told from Holden’s perspective, the novel shows how his attitude negatively impacts his ability to adapt to society and accept the changes that accompany adulthood Holden recoils from change and wishes the world could always stay the same.

He behaves very much like a child because he is afraid to be responsible for himself and learn how to cooperate with the people around him.

By the end of the novel, Holden realizes everybody has to grow up and finally learns to accept maturity despite the flaws of adult society that come with it.

Holden’s acceptance of innocence giving way to adult society represents the need for children to leave the safety of naivety in order to be successful; this is shown through Holden’s negative views of those around him, his value for morals, and his love for children, Holden has negative views of people in society because, in his opinion, the childlike innocence missing from their lives makes them corrupt and totally flawed, He strongly believes that adults are “phonies” because they only do things to make themselves look good and please those around them, Children, on the other hand, are genuine and indifferent to people’s interpretations of their actions.

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This contrast compels Holden to lean toward children and their favorable aspects. One day, as Holden wanders around New York City, he sees a little boy walking down the street singing a song.

He describes the scene, saying, “The cars zoomed by, brakes screeched all over the place, his parents paid no attention to him, and he kept on walking next to the curb and singing” (Salinger 115). The little boy makes Holden happy because he is so carefree, despite all of the confusion that surrounds him, He does not allow the distractions of the world to prevent him from doing what he wants, whenever he wants. However, Holden does not feel the same way about adults. After an encounter with a pair of nuns collecting for charity, he recalls the mother of a girl named Sally Hayes, saying, “The only way she could go around with a basket collecting dough would be if everybody kissed her ass for her when they made a contribution” (Salinger 114), According to Holden, she also wears her best outfits and puts on makeup when she goes to collect money, Unlike the little boy on the street, Mrs. Hayes allows herself to become wrapped up in people’s opinions of her and acts accordingly.

However, Holden does not even acknowledge the better characteristics Mrsr Hayes might have because he always judges people purely by their flaws. This bad relationship with the world makes Holden feel alone and convinces him that society is the undoing of innocence Holden‘s pessimistic views show how children need to learn to be open-minded about people if they want to form relationships that will help them reach their goals in life. Morals play a large role in Holden’s life because of the support they provide when facing society’s perverse ways. A child’s idea of morals runs along the lines of sharing his or her toys or not talking to strangers Once they become adolescents like Holden, some children lose sight of their fundamental beliefs and fall prey to unethical behavior, Holden encounters a product of adolescent immorality when he is offered a night with a prostitute.

At first the idea appeals to him; he has nothing better to do and sees it as an opportunity to finally lose his virginity. Then he thinks to himself, “I keep stopping The trouble is, I get to feeling sorry for [girls]i I mean most girls are so dumb and all, After you neck them for a while, you can really watch them losing their brains [m] They tell me to stop, so I stop”. Holden‘s so-called problem is that he cares about girls and their feelings, unlike most boys who pounce at the chance to have their way He is aware that girls take intimacy more seriously than boys and instinctively recoils at the thought of taking advantage of someone, even though it goes against his desires. Holden decides not to sleep with the prostitute due to these moralsi As for children, Holden tries his best to keep them from being exposed to immorality because he knows the damage it can do While he is at his sister Phoebe’s school, Holden sees “Fuck you” written on one of its walls and becomes infuriated He says, “I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see it, and how they’d wonder what the hell it meant, and then finally some dirty kid would tell them — all cockeyed, naturally — what it meant”.

Holden’s intense anger towards the person writing expletives on school property shows how much he cares about preserving children’s innocencei He wants them to enjoy a carefree life as long as possible without having to worry about the meaning behind adult humor and why people behave badly Holden’s morals allow him to combat society’s negative effect on children, showing how they need solid beliefs of their own in order to confront adulthood. Holden‘s most important characteristic in his resentment of corruption in society is his love for children. If he did not care for them, then he would not have half as many criticisms for the behavior he witnesses on a daily basis Holden’s relationship with Phoebe is an example of this. Her habits, her interests, and the innocent things she says reflect everything Holden values in life However, she shocks him into realizing that everybody grows up at some point.

This happens when Holden and Phoebe are arguing about her going out west with him and she tells him to shut up for the first time, Holden is taken aback by venom behind her words In his mind, Phoebe telling him to shut up sounds terrible and is even worse than hearing her swear. Swears are a mouthful for a child, but Holden has always been stuck in the mindset that Phoebe is perfectly innocent and will never change. This is significant because it marks Holden‘s realization that every child changes as he or she grows older, whether he likes it or not. His realization is fulfilled later that same day when he takes Phoebe to a carousel. As she rides around on the carousel, Phoebe tries to grab for a gold ring. Holden is afraid she might fall off but chooses not to say anything.

He reasons with himself, “If they [kids] 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”. At this point, it dawns on Holden that shielding children from the real world will never do them any good. They need to face society and reach for their goals. If they fail the first time, they need to learn to dust themselves off and keep trying. Without that willpower gained through adapting to adulthood, children will not be able to succeed in the real world. Holden loves children enough to want the best for them; this reasoning convinces him that growing up has its defects but is the best thing for a child’s success It is no secret that growing up is tough. The difference between childhood and adulthood is so immense that there is no way to take shortcuts.

Sometimes people like Holden try to resist maturity because they are reluctant to break out of the cocoon provided by innocence. Everyone must learn that growing older is just another part of life that nobody can avoid, and resisting change will only lead to problems Adult society is filled to the brim with dangers, but the right attitude has the power to change the experience, Holden’s bad opinions of others, his morals, and his loving concern for children alter the way he looks at the world and its effect on children that are trading their innocence for an understanding of life. In the end he learns to let go of his resentment for the world and realizes how important it is for children to lose their naivety. Through Holden, Salinger teaches his readers the importance of moving on and accepting life for what it is.