Change In The Catcher And The Rye Essay

Holden’s immaturity causes him many problems throughout the story. Although he is physically mature, he acts more like a child. “All of a sudden I

It takes many experiences in order for an immature child to become a responsible, well-rounded adult. In J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger’s main character Holden Caulfield matures throughout the course of the novel. In the beginning of the novel, Holden is a juvenile young man. However, through his experiences, Holden is able to learn, and is finally able to become somewhat mature by the end of the novel. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield’s story represents a coming of age for all young adults.

Change is inevitable and is a constant phase that Holden cannot conceptualize. Holden's fear of change can be exemplified by the Museum of Natural History. Like the museum, he wants everything to be unchanging and as simple as possible. He talks about the immutable statues by saying, "Certain things they should stay the way they are... I know it's impossible, but it's too bad anyway" (Salinger 122). By admitting his fear of change, Holden also reveals another important aspect of his life: his loss of childhood innocence. The only thing he can talk about without contempt is kids. Allie, his deceased brother, is continuously mentioned in the book, as well as the many interactions Holden has with Phoebe. Although he is continuously deriding others around him, he humbly admits to his sister that the only thing he could envision doing is saving kids, "What I have to do - I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff [...] I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd like to be" (Salinger 173). Holden's love for kids is the only

In the book, “The Catcher in the Rye”, Holden Caulfield has many conflicts and life lessons. Throughout the story the author, J.D. Salinger, creates events that make the main character realize that in life people change and grow. The message behind the story is let children grab the “gold ring” and you can’t always be the catcher in the rye. All of the things that make Holden who he is have many resemblances to the life of the author, J.D. Salinger.

The line “Under the shadow of her father’s terrible collar …” proves this idea. The narrator is hesitant when kissing her which is proved by the line “And as she finds you incredibly naïve,” The narrator is most likely afraid of what will happen next if he continues with the girl. He is probably afraid that something would happen between him and her father, so he becomes afraid of the change about to occur. “The Catcher in the Rye” and “Novel” shares a very similar characteristic. Holden is afraid of change because his brother Allie died and he believes that growing up will lead to death and ultimately nothing good will come out of it. The narrator in “Novel” is also afraid of change because he is hesitant when he is kissing the girl. The narrator also drinks beer and has a good time walking around saying that he isn’t serious because he’s 17. Both Holden and the narrator are afraid of change and coming of age.

Holden fears any sort of change in his life. He shows this at the Museum of Natural History when he says,”The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was… Nobody'd move. Nobody be different.” The museum appeal to him because it is unchanging. Holden wants everything to be straightforward, simple, and eternally fixed. Holden is overwhelmed by complexity. He doesn’t want anything to be confusing, rather crystal clear and eternally fixed. The reason he fears change is because he is afraid of unforeseeable complication such as Allie’s unpredictable death. He hates conflict for he doesn’t know how to react it. Change is not limited to himself though. Holden doesn’t want children changing, especially his

The Fear of Change In a society where youths are pressured to grow up and become responsible young adult, the fear of change is prevalent as they move further away from home, and closer to a life by themselves. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the increasingly contemporary protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is faced with the choice of diving into the adult world, or running off to a place of his own. Holden’s dramatic fear of change drives him away from growing up and conforming to the life of a phony.

The theme of loss and goodbyes recurs throughout The Catcher in the Rye and each occurrence reinforces Holden’s negative attitude towards change. The most vivid quote to gain insight into Holden’s view on change and subsequently loss (Byrne, Kalua and Scheepers 2012: 64) is in chapter 16 when Holden reflects back on his childhood and his regular school visits to the Natural History Museum, Holden finds a great comfort in the static and unchanging displays in the museum and in the continuity he finds in there, “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move.” (SparkNote…2007).

Change is to become different, and every day, something changes, whether it is the weather, the age of something or someone, or even the government. One must learn that change occurs in everybody's life and in order to grow one must accept change. J.D. Salinger's book named The Catcher in the Rye provides an excellent example of change. The Catcher in the Rye's main character, Holden Caulfield has a difficult time in accepting that life is all about change and discovery. He shows these traits through the idea of adults being phonies, alienation and loneliness, the idea of being the catcher in the rye, and the idea of change by going back to the museum and elementary school.

This is no clearer than in Chapter 24 during his conversation with Mr. Antolini where he says “Among other things, you’ll find that you are not the first person who was ever confused or frightened and even sickened by human behavior” (Page 208). Holden was engaged in a conversation with Mr. Antolini where he learned a few things and was for once not cynical and accusing of everything he heard. Holden simply learns in a bit more of an unconventional way than the rest of

Change is hard to adjust to. That is why many individuals have foreseeable actions, opinions, and thoughts. In the book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld, both Holden and Lee dislike change. In The Washington Post, during the review of Curtis Sittenfled’s Prep, it wrote, “Holden Caulfield would love this heroine.” Holden would appreciate Lee’s predictability in her actions.

At this point in his life Holden is just confused and overwhelmed with growing up and having to enter adulthood. He is afraid of what he doesn’t understand and reverts to a cynical view of society to shield himself from the painfulness of growing up. Holden wishes he could live in a simple and understandable world but he must face the realities of life and the complexities that come with it. Confronting failure is often the most difficult thing to do especially at a young age for adolescences, however education is able teach not only book work, but life values as well. By obtaining an education, Holden will be able to transgress his previous conceptions about society and learn to succeed in the rapidly changing society he is thrown

As Holden was searching for his sister Phoebe, he decided to go check if she was in the museum. When he got there, he was never able to actually step inside because he was afraid of change. He thought that when he went inside, nothing would be different and that “the only thing that would be different would be you” (Salinger 121). This shows that Holden did not want to go into the museum because he did not want to be different. The reason that Holden likes the museum is because he knows that everything will always remain the same. Holden’s thoughts show that he is afraid of change and growth and that he would do anything to preserve his

Holden is torn between trying to act like an adult and mentally being like a child which gets him being worried about ducks. This shows how childlike Holden can really be. He is very afraid of change and ducks are kind of a reassurance that things get to where they should be eventually. Ducks may go far but the will eventually come

The Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel written ny J. D. Salinger well known writer. This book was written for adult but later with its popularity and change of time made it to nerdy teenager wishlist . This book is written in perfect point of view of an teenager. Maybe that's why 1 million copies are sold each year In all it 65 million books were sold.