Journey Of Dealing With The Change
Everyone no matter whoever he or she is growing up and step-by-step going into the world of adulthood. This book “The Catcher In The Rye” written by J.D.Salinger portrays the part of the process of growing up. It is about a16 years old character, Holden Caulfield’s growth into maturity. It only tells about 4, 5 days of Holden. During these days, he has been kicked out of Pencey Prep School and wanders around the New York without going back home. From the events he faces, he is described as someone lack of courage, determination and is conveyed as lonely, alienated, liar, pessimistic and loser. Throughout the story, Holden is struggling with the change from childhood to adulthood in which he resists the process of growing up, is inwardly conflicted to act maturely, and is depressed at the problems he faces.
In the first place, Holden tries to oppose growing up and wishes to stay in childhood, full of innocence. Similarly he desires to stay in a place where nothing ever changes, everything is simple, and understandable. Apart from this, he is terrified to acknowledge the sex and death he has to face in growing up: “Sex is something I just don’t understand” (Salinger 68). Additionally when he says, “I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all” and catches the kids from falling from the cliff, it symbolizes his wish to save himself and other children from having to grow up one day (Salinger 186). Growing up is something he can’t accept and he struggles to overcome it by resisting it.
Moreover, Holden is inwardly conflicted between acting out in two different worlds. One part of him exposes identity to maturity while another part wishes to stay childishly. Though Holden wishes to stay in his childhood, he often seems wanting to prove his maturity. He frequently attempts to be an adult pretending to be older than he is. Initially, he tells Mrs. Morrow, “I have quite a bit of gray hair” (Salinger 62). Moreover he says to himself:...