Examples Of Maturity In Catcher In The Rye

Holden has matured in many ways throughout the novel. He had grown from an immature child who only cared about himself to a mature adult who wanted to make something of his life. In the beginning of the story we are introduced to

In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden, cannot accept that he must move out of childhood and into adulthood. One of Holden’s most important major problems is his lack of maturity. Holden also has a negative perspective of life that makes things seem worse than they really are. In addition to Holden’s problems he is unable to accept the death of his brother at a young age. Holden’s immaturity, negative mentality, and inability to face reality hold him back from moving into adulthood.

When we grow up we’re raised to do our best and to be mature. People know their right from wrongs. Throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye by, J.D. Salinger the main character goes through a difficult life and time growing up. Growing up too fast is not the answer for everything. The main character Holden Caulfield is a misfit because he is very dramatic, he avoids facing things, and he shows reckless behavior.

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.

Every human actions meets in nature and they find their own characteristic feature in a good or bad way. Not everyone can say it is a pleasant experiment, but no one can deny that it happened. This single event is ‘growing up’. The transition between childhood innocence and adulthood is long and confusing, often uncovering questions that cannot be answered. During this time the adult world seems inviting and free, but only when we become members of a cruel, society can the happy ignorance of childhood be appreciated and missed. The novel Catcher in the Rye examines how adult life appears complex and incomprehensible to teenagers on the brink of entering it. Through the main protagonist Holden Caulfield, J.D. Salinger captures the confusion of a teenager when faced with the challenge of adapting to an adult society.

There are certain qualities that define maturity, and they vary from person to person. Throughout the story, Holden Caulfield, the sixteen year old protagonist of “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger is slowly but surely becoming a mature, young boy. He battles through his teenage life because he is caught between two worlds; one of pure bliss and innocence, the other of a mature adult. As he aspires to be “the catcher in the rye”, he wants all children to hold on to their innocence as long as they can because he feels the world is full of “phony” adults. However with the help of some friends and family, he is able to realize that he cannot save all children and that they will eventually have to grow up. Jeannette Walls, the author and main character of the memoir, “A Glass

It is very clear that Holden is immature. One of the most obvious times that this is shown is when Holden is talking with Luce. Luce says, “ Same old Caulfield. When are you gonna grow up?” (Salinger 144).

“I was 16 and I'm 17 now sometimes act like about 13” (Salinger 232) This quote taken from the novel shows the reader that Holden may not be just as mature as his lifestyle represents. “I'm 6 foot two and I have gray hair”. (Salinger 222) Maturity is also shown when Holden comes home to visit some teachers, and is told to start dreaming, and thinking about his future plans in life, such as an occupation, etc. These conversations Holden has, starts to make him think that one day hell have to grow up and start to plan out his future, and that he can no longer hide from

Holden has an apparent dislike for society. He insists that "[he] is surrounded by phonies (Salinger 13)" and left Elkton Hills because of it.

Every teenager feels problems in their day to day life. How they face them is an entirely different story. Holden in the book The Catcher in the Rye is a great example of a teenager who can’t move past the grief of a brother and the process of growing up. Holden was just sixteen in Pencey prep when he decided that rather than waiting to go he got upset because of roommates and left. It also helped him not disappoint his parents.

The Catcher in the Rye shows Holden Caulfield’s journey from childhood to adulthood, Holden faces a lot of struggles and obstacles throughout the novel. We see Holden at his more worst and venerable times but then towards the end of the novel we also see Holden grow as a person and come to face some of his problems he struggled with before. Holden’s starts to show his coming of age at the start of his novel when Holden gets kicked out of his school Pencey Prep, at this moment this is when Holden notices that he could have been a better student and that he could have put more effort into his time being there. Holden then started his journey of wondering around New York City waiting for the right time to go back home. Holden starts his journey of his coming of age with heading to New York City and having to spend a night in the cheap Manhattan Hotel, well Holden was there he came to the idea that he wants to lose his virginity Holden wants to do this because he explains in the novel that all the other boys his age has already lost theirs so he just wanted to get it done and over with as well.

So instead of just accepting the fact that maturity is something that he is scared of and that it is a mystery to him, Holden creates an imaginary world in which adulthood is something that people shouldn’t be concerned about and that it is less important than other things in life and that it is a way which leads to someone becoming a phony. When someone is a child, he is in a world in which he is innocent, curious and honest. Nothing shows his insight of these two worlds more than what he thinks of the catcher in the rye. He sees childhood as a place where it is full of rye and children goes to it to play. Also, he sees adulthood, for a child, is a place for death.

Most coming of age stories take place in a modern, Western high school. A young teenager faces turmoil within their daily lives that transforms them from an immature child to a young adult. Most struggles that teenagers have to deal with are ordeals like divorce or failing a class. Books like The Catcher in the Rye, The Outsiders, and almost every young adult fiction novel published in today’s culture center around a protagonist who deals with conflicts that help shape them into an adult. Most movies targeted at a young adult demographic use the “coming of age” mantra to develop a film.

Coming of age stories are an essential aspect of American Culture. Understanding and accepting one’s blossoming sexuality is considered an important aspect of growing up. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a novel that narrates the struggles of a troubled young man with coming of age given his situation and emotional instability. In the text, Holden, our narrator, has a tendency to portray most of the women he meets as shallow and superficial. This certain portrayal of women is one of the ways in which Holden’s fear of growing up is depicted in the novel. He is afraid of growing up and ultimately of his emerging sexuality and that is why he had grown to dismiss most women as beings without depth.

Growing up may seem daunting to most, but it is a necessary part of life. In the novel The Catcher in The Rye, J.D. Salinger portrays Holden as a teenage boy who cannot accept this concept. The novel shows Holden’s thoughts and take on the world over the course of three days. Holden consistently judges other characters and avoids communication with them until finally, he has a complete mental breakdown. Salinger uses the characters Allie and Stradlater to symbolize stages and aspects of life to show that one must eventually accept confrontation and interaction with the adult world.