The Catcher In The Rye: The Never-Changing Museum Of Natural History

The Catcher in the Rye includes many memorable quotes one of those being “The best thing though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobady’d move...Nobody'd be different. The only thing that would be different would be you…”(157-158). Throughout the book Holden shows that he fears and does not know how to deal with conflict and change but the museum presents to him something that he can understand: it is frozen and always the same. The museum and everything in it represent the simple, idealistic, and manageable vision of life that Holden wishes he could live. Another memorable quote from the book is one in which one comes to understand the title,

Almost all the differences he goes on to describe are negative, like kids getting diseases or parents fighting at home. This signifies to the reader Holden’s growing anger and fear of change, and the symbol he sees in the museum of an ideal world that never changes. But, Holden doesn’t think of himself as part of this world. Holden repeatedly uses the word “you”, breaking the fourth wall. He says “you could go there [the museum] a hundred thousand times.” By speaking in the second person, “you,” Holden further distances himself from the process of change, making the reader the one who is experiencing the events listed. He begins each of the four phrases with “or” as if he is racing to think of another horrible example of change. Salinger’s stream-of-consciousness writing style and rhythm of sentences enables the reader to fully grasp Holden’s growing agitation and fear of change. Holden ends the passage by declaring that he does not know how to explain it any further and that he does not even feel like trying anymore. This abrupt ending of the passage also confirms the sensitivity of the topic for

The transition from the youth to adult world often allows innocence to be left behind; corresponding with the difficulty to accept change and responsibilities which results in the corruption of purity. Holden is characterized in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in The Rye, through symbols incorporated throughout the novel such as highlighting his fear of change, and his respect towards children's innocence as being huge characterized aspects throughout the novel, Holden’s red hunting hat symbolizes his unique character, innocence, and need for protection. The ducks in Central Park symbolize Holden’s thoughts of loneliness and his emotional instability, his forestalled development, and his fear of change. The title of the book itself, The Catcher in the Rye, is an important symbol as it displays Holden’s obsession to save children from losing their innocence.

Holden experiences extreme difficulty accepting his current realities and one of the main factors causing this is the lasting negative impact his brother Allies death had on his life. Firstly, when Holden decides to leave his school, he tells readers , “I don’t care if it’s a sad goodbye or a bad goodbye, but when I leave a place, I like to know I’m leaving it. If you don’t, you feel even worse” (Salinger, 4). Holden’s need for closure is evident in this quote. When Allie died, it was very unexpected and he was not prepared to let him go, resulting in his denial that his brother is actually

Using the process described in How To Read Literature Like A Professor, I analyzed a specific place in The Catcher in the Rye by asking myself questions, brainstorming meanings of other symbols, and focusing on the significance of this place in order to create a symbolic meaning that I see in the novel. More specifically, The Museum of Natural History in the novel represents more than just a simple museum, as it symbolizes the desired world in which Holden wants to live in. When Holden described how the museum appealed to him because it is “frozen and unchanging”, it is clear that he dislikes change and wishes to stay in the time that he is right now. This supports his desire to be “the catcher in the rye”, as he wishes to save children from

In J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Cather in the Rye, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, has contributed to his poor mentally state by defiantly trying to avoid the transition from childhood innocence into an adult world filled with lies, pain and phoniness. His struggle with the transition is cleverly emphasized by the use of three powerful symbols -- the ducks in the pond at Central Park, the museum and the catcher in the rye – all which reinforce his struggle and discomfort with entering adulthood. Through these symbols, Salinger helps the reader develop a deeper appreciation of Holden’s dilemma and his fragile mental state. The reader is first introduced to Holden’s curiosity about the ducks when he asks a cab driver, “Do you happen to know

He chooses to not acknowledge this and he wants to keep his innocence like the children in the field of rye. Once Holden leaves Pencey and heads into New York, he must face many scenarios where he must confront the good, the bad, and the ugly of life. At one point he encounters a man and a woman spitting water into each others faces. When seeing this he unexpectedly enjoys it and is confused why. He goes on to talk about how “[sex] is something I just don’t understand. I swear to God I don’t” and how he is unaware of the complications of what comes with it (pg.63). Holden exhibits that he still has his innocence and still has not realized the complicated things that come with adulthood such as sex. Another instance of Holden not being able to come to grips with adulthood is when he marvels at the timelessness of the Museum of Natural History. Holden discusses how “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move. . . . Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you.” (pg. 121). Holden is afraid of the idea of time changing things and he is scared of change. He is scared of the responsibilities that come with change and how things may change around him while he is left behind. At this point in time, when Holden’s journey through New York is coming to a close, he starts to realize

Thesis: In Catcher in the Rye, Salinger uses symbols to represent Holden’s life, goals and struggles, then connects them together to reveal major themes of isolation, loneliness, preserving innocence, and change.

He has held on very tightly to memories of the museum, as well as other things from his younger self. He longs to go back to the time when he visited this museum, when his brother was alive. Holden can’t let go of Allie, even though he has passed away. Because of this, he keeps objects that remind him of Allie. Just like his name, “Holden”, he holds on tightly to those

Before Holden’s date with Sally, he decides to walk to the Museum of National History to kill time. He starts to remember back when he had field trips to the museum when he was younger, and admired the fact that nothing ever changed in there. He appreciates how nothing changes and that everything is frozen. He can judge the figures without them judging back. Holden seems to admire the museum for not changing because he seems to hate it when people change and become phony. The museum is a place of great significance to Holden. It takes him back to a time where things were less corrupt and phony. Within his ever changing world the museum stands as one of the few places that help preserve his past. Moreover, it is a cornerstone of safety and security

Taylor Musselman Mr. Mathis English I 11/10/14 Salinger’s Symbolism The Catcher in the Rye is about a boy named Holden Caulfield. Holden is from a wealthy family that sends him off to boarding schools in which he gets kicked out of quite often. Holden has been through many hardships and gets depressed a lot.

In all forms of literature, characters develop and progress throughout the story after experiencing several events that change them as a person; this is what gives the story substance and interest in the readers’ eyes. This statement is also the case in J. D Salinger’s novel “The Catcher in the Rye” as the protagonist Holden Caufield goes on a journey of self-discovery resulting in change in his overall view of the world around him. Throughout the novel, Holden is driven by the idea of preserving the innocence of children and sheltering them from the adult world, but as the story progresses he comes to the realization that growing up is an inevitable part of life that must be accepted. Holden also changes from being someone who rarely shows

On the departure of childhood innocence and on the brink of adulthood, J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye centers around Holden Caufield, who is caught in the ambiguous limbo as a 1950's teen between the child and adult world. Stationed in a mental hospital, Holden tells a retrospective story after his expulsion from Pencey Prep, a school teeming with "phonies" according to Holden. Holden tells a journey of him navigating through New York City meeting old friends and acquaintances to look for a way to preserve innocence, and to look for a remedy in his growing anxiety for his future in the cruel, phony adult world. Throughout Holden's coming-of-age journey, Holden's red hunting hat is an outlet and narrative device that communicates Holden's

(Salinger 122) Part of Holden’s idealization of childhood is that he wants people to never change. The museum reminds him of how he simply cannot stop Phoebe from growing up, and reminds him that he is being forced to grow up. Although Holden tries his best to preserve the innocence of the children around him, this only reminds him of the inevitability of becoming an

First of all, some teenagers fear/unsure of change, and Holden is one of them. He’d even like the world to never change, for time to be frozen, so he can stay in his childhood and not worry about going into the adulthood. “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move. You could go there a hundred times, and that Eskimo would still be just finished catching those two fish, the birds would still be on their way south…”. This is a symbol, that Holden was in a National Museum and that he likes it when everything is the same. He desires to stop time.