Holden Caulfield Symbolism

Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, has a rather pessimistic view of adulthood and characterizes adults as phoney. In the novel, Salinger criticizes teenagers’ obsession of protecting their youth through the use of symbolism, thereby demonstrating that adulthood is inevitable, and fearing it is ultimately self-destructive. Initially, Salinger uses symbolism to show the self-destructive behaviour of desperately attempting to protect one’s youth. A passage that demonstrates symbolism is when Holden visits the Museum of Natural History and notes how “the best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was” (Salinger 157). The museum serves as a representation of