Examples Of Adulthood In Catcher In The Rye

As teens transition toward adulthood, some have a difficult time developing into responsible adults. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher In The Rye, Holden is emotionally affected by the death of his younger brother Allie which causes him to grieve and not be able to develop towards being an adult. He is expelled from multiple schools because of his failing grades which greatly disappoints his parents. Holde emotionally becomes very depressed and is does not have any close friends. He isolates himself from people, yet he craves attention. This situation is destructive because Holden’s life experiences lead him to avoid the transition from adolescence to adulthood and he hopes that other children do not experience this frightening change. This avoidance and attempt at postponing the transition of adulthood is shown through the symbols of the National History Museum, Holden’s interpretation of the poem “Comin’ thro’ the Rye”, and the gold ring at the carousel.
The static exhibits at the National History Museum symbolize the stability that Holden craves and they represent Holden’s need to hang on to his childhood and resist the changes in his life. His favorite part of the museum is that the
exhibits never change and he says that things should be able to stay as they are. When Holden is walking through the museum as he waits for his sister Phoebe he thinks, “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always started right where it was. Nobody'd would move … Nobody's be different. The only thing that would be different would be you” (Salinger 135). By appreciating the unchanging qualities of the museum, Holden shows his fear of change and growing up combined with his desire to stay the same. He always appreciates and admires how each of the exhibits in the museum are effortlessly understandable and never changing. Unlike adulthood which is complex, confusing and always changing, the museum is everything Holden wants. No matter what happens to Holden, he can always rely on the museum to stay constant. As Holden leaves the museum he thinks, “I thought how [Phoebe]’d see the same stuff I used to see, and how she’d be different every time she saw it. It didn’t exactly depress me to think about it, but it didn't make me feel gay as hell, either. 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” (Salinger 136). Holden’s perception of the reality of adulthood causes him to fear for Phoebe’s transition into adulthood. He does not like to think about how she is changing every time she comes to the museum, which means that she is slowly losing her innocence, growing up and transitioning towards adulthood. Holden believes that things should stay constant and never change because he does not want to transition into becoming an adult.
When Holden references the poem “Comin’ thro’ the Rye” while talking to Phoebe, the poem symbolizes his need to avoid growing up and to prevent other children from doing the same. He tells her how his interpretation of the poem inspires him, and he says “‘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. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be. I know it’s crazy’” (Salinger 191). This quote demonstrates how Holden wants to save all of the children from the loss of their innocence and he wants them to also continue a carefree childhood. A symbol of innocence and the stress-free childhood is the reference to the children playing in the field. At the same time, he specifically states that there is “nobody big” (Salinger 191). This is significant because it is a symbol of him avoiding the responsibility of being a grown up. The fall from the cliff also symbolizes the transition into adulthood and it indicates that adulthood may be something scary and frightening. When Holden states that the children do not know where they are going, it shows how he did not realize how difficult his transition into adulthood would be and how he wants to prevents children from this “fall”. Holden wants to protect children from growing up and he desires to avoid the complexity and confusing reality of being an adult; however his repetition of “I know it’s crazy” (Salinger 191) shows the reader that Holden subconsciously realizes that his goal of saving the kids from adulthood is unrealistic.
The gold ring at the carousel in the zoo symbolizes how Holden refuses to move into adulthood and that demonstrates his epiphany of growing up. As he watches Phoebe on the carousel, he comments that, “All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she’d fall off the goddam horse, but I didn’t say anything or do anything. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them” (Salinger 232). Similar to how the kids struggle to hold onto the gold ring, Holden struggles to hold onto his childhood in order to avoid transitioning to adulthood. As the kids fall off the carousel, they symbolically lose a part of their childhood. In this scene, Holden has an epiphany that as much as he wants to, he is unable to protect Phoebe and other children from adulthood. As much as Holden wants to protect everyone, he begins to accept that in order to grow up, kids will fall and lose the innocence of their childhood. He accepts that children will make their own mistakes and experience pain in order to learn and grow. Holden shows his fears about the transition into adulthood through the static exhibits at the National History Museum, the dreams of being the catcher in the rye, and the epiphany of the gold ring at the carousel.
As much as he wants a never changing life of childhood, he realizes that his hope of avoiding growing up is impossible. Although Holden’s transition into adulthood was difficult, it is important that teens understand that even though adulthood can be difficult, it can also be positive and is essential stage of life. The transition into adulthood is a complicated and confusing period in the personal development of many people. As people transition towards adulthood, they will have many experiences that will allow them to grow emotionally, intellectually, and
spiritually.