The Catcher In The Rye Literary Analysis

In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is a young boy who was kicked out of his high school due to his lack of trying in school, resulting in his failing grades. Throughout the entire novel Holden constantly questions his impossible goal of not becoming an adult. There are many symbols in the novel that support his constant questioning. Three supporting references to Holden’s constant questioning are, when Holden feels like he is disappearing every time he crosses a road in winter (8), Egyptian mummification, and his reappearing question of “where the ducks go in winter?”. These three symbols all connect to a single place, the museum. Each of these three references symbolize something. At the beginning of the novel holden mentions
him feeling like whenever he crosses a road in winter he disappears. This falls into the common theme of Holden not wanting to grow up. The road here symbolizes Holden crossing over from a child to an adult. Holden feels like he is disappearing because he is loosing the rights of childhood and is having to grow up and live his life like an adult but, he doesn’t want to grow up.