Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Growing up isn’t just about turning a certain age. Its about realizing and accepting the responsibility that comes with being mature enough to handle yourself. In the book the Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, the main character, Holden, struggles with taking on life by himself.  When he decides to leave his school, Pency, and head to New York for 3 days, he discovers that maybe he isn't ready to face his fears or chase his dreams.

            Holden is a strange protagonist because he seems to refuse to let himself mature. However, during his adventure to New York City, he matures without realizing it. For example, Holden starts out in the book with negative thoughts on people, especially Stradlater and Ackley, and ends the book with the thought of calling them up for a chat. It shows how his mind has matured, so he doesn’t get too bothered with the things that he got upset about in the beginning. He used to get grossed out with Ackley’s acne, but if he had seen him at the end Holden probably wouldn’t have minded. Something as small as the significance as acne can mean a lot to a person like Holden, who is judgmental until the end.

            Holden fears change and he cares for things that are simple and not too elaborate. This is one of the reasons that he cannot except that he needs to mature, because he refuses to let himself change his ways. For example, “Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone. I know that's impossible, but it's too bad anyway” (16.25). In this quote Holden is talking about the glass cases of the Eskimos and the Indians in the Natural History Museum, which he loves so much because they stay the same. Holden can’t except change which is why he can’t stand the fact of him growing up into adulthood.

            Holden doesn’t acknowledge the real world and instead replaces it with an imaginary world that he created. He has this whole theory of what he wants to do, instead of a real job. His theory is, “Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around – nobody big, I mean – except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff – I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all” (22.51-55). This quote is very symbolic to the book. The kids represent childhood- which in his mind is innocent, just a bunch of playing around- and he represents the adults- whose jobs is it to catch the kids if they try to run off the edge of a cliff. So Holden creates this imaginary world, but his kid sister Phoebe and his old teacher Mr. Antolini help him to figure out that it is not a very viable way to think about life.

            This book requires a certain way of thinking and opening up to the process that is adulthood. I really enjoyed the main idea of this book, which is to not be stuck in your own ways and open up to the world around you.