The Theme Of Adulthood In Catcher In The Rye

J.D. Salinger explores the difficulties associated with the passage from youth to adulthood in his novel, The Catcher in the Rye. The author especially highlights the importance people staying connected to others in order to make a mentally healthy and successful life transition. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist in the novel, is desperately clinging to his youth. Holden is obsessed with the phony nature of adults and judges the people around him based upon their degree of insincerity, two-facedness, and pretension. Holden is equally preoccupied with preserving childhood innocence. He is unable to sacrifice his purity in order to gain adult privileges. In fact, Holden is so disillusioned about adulthood that he eventually cuts off all ties in his life that could possibly help him through the transition of adolescence. Thus, the author, through Holden, explores the difficulties of this stage of life and how easy it is to stray from “the path” without “a village” to support this journey.
Holden is metaphorically at war with most of the adult world. He thinks adults are phony, which is the epitome of deficiencies. Some such people in Holden’s life include his history teacher, Mr. Spencer; his roommate, Stradlater; and the headmaster at his previous school, Mr. Haas. Mr.
Spencer is seemingly phony because he uses the word “grand” unnecessarily. Holden says, “Grand. There’s a word I really hate. It’s a phony. I could puke every time I hear it” (Salinger, 14). Holden loathes the word “grand” because of its misapplication, and implication of false feelings. Another example of a phony person is Stradlater, Holden’s roommate, who says “How’sa boy, Ackley?” to a student who he does not like. Holden notes that “It was a partly phony kind of friendly, but at least he said hello” (34). This is a rare time when Holden does not fully condemn phoniness. Lastly, Holden’s old headmaster, Mr. Haas, is a prime example of what is considered by Holden to be“phony”. Mr. Hass would “go around shaking hands with everybody’s parents… except if some boy had little old funny-looking parents” (19). The two-facedness of the headmaster and his sudden change of manner towards different people prove his phoniness. Holden’s view of adulthood is through a lens of falsehood and deceit, as so many “phony” adults surround him.
However, in many instances, Holden himself is phony. The first instance of Holden’s own phoniness occurred when he says “I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful” (22). Holden recognizes the problem with his lying capabilities and tendencies, but does not consider himself phony. Holden’s unwillingness to recognize his own phoniness despite knowing the problems with his lies signifies that Holden is floating between childhood and adulthood. Holden once again lies while on the train, when talking to a fellow student’s mother. When asked for the reason why Holden has left his school a few days before Christmas break, he responds “It isn’t very serious, I have this tiny little tumor on the brain” (75). In this instance, by not admitting to his expulsion, Holden benefits from the lie, thus adding to the phoniness. Holden creates a persona of a saintly, misfortuned child. Thus, Holden is unable to stem the tide or change as he himself is becoming an adult, whether he likes or recognizes it himself. Holden struggles with the transition from childhood to adulthood.
Holden believes that childhood innocence is something to be cherished and protected at all costs. Holden comes across a poor little boy of about 6 years old exiting a church while singing, “if a body catch a body coming through the rye” (150). Holden, normally depressed, is cheered up by the image of that innocent boy singing for pure joy. The boy has no alternative agenda that adults commonly possess. In fact, later in the novel when Holden shares his thoughts about his future, he recounts the song. He pictures children about to fall off a cliff, and Holden’s job is to catch them. "Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all... 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... 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.” (224-225). Thus, Holden feels that a child’s innocence must be heroically protected, before they grow older, and become phony. Holden is threatened by the prospect of losing his precious childhood and fantasizes about making time stand still. For example, Holden appreciates the Museum of Natural History where displays are frozen in time. Holden thinks, “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” (158). Also, Holden asks his date, Sally Hayes, to run away with him to a log cabin in the woods of New England. Holden is seeking a companion to escape from adulthood. He is furious when Sally wouldn’t indulge his fantasy, so he told Sally that she gives him “a royal pain in the ass” (157). Holden not only wants to devote his life to saving the innocence of children, but is so obsessed with the preservation of his own guilelessness that he feels the need to escape society.
Holden is torn between the privileges of adulthood and purity of childhood. One example of Holden’s pursuit of adult pleasures occurs when Holden asks a waiter for a cocktail, but is denied because of his young age. Holden thinks to himself, “I’m a goddam minor,” (91). The tone of this quote is of resigned frustration, since Holden believes that the waiter was not to be blamed. Another example of Holden wanting the benefits of adulthood occurs when he wants to dance with a thirty-something year old blond in the bar. The woman questions Holden about his age, and he responds with, “Oh, Christ don’t spoil it. I’m twelve, for Chrissake” (94). This instance, Holden replies with sarcasm, as not to admit his age. Thus, he pursues the privileges of adulthood while being unwilling to become one, and give up the guilelessness of youth. Holden seems to wish he could live in a world where he could enjoy the perks of adulthood while at the same time he could maintain the authenticity of childhood.
Holden’s alienation from others continues to be a major factor in his downward spiral. Holden attempts to form social bridges with Mr. Antolini, his old teacher, and Allie, his deceased brother. Holden’s interactions with each are doomed, and do not curtail Holden’s mental decline. Holden’s previous English teacher, Mr. Antolini, at first seems to be the embodiment of Holden’s image of a protector of youth, and Holden’s bridge to humanity. Holden remembers that “[Mr. Antolini] was the one that picked up that boy that jumped out the window” (226). Mr. Antolini does not actually “catch” James before James jumps out of the window and dies. However, by carrying away the boy, Mr. Antolini symbolizes a guardian of youth to Holden. Holden is hoping that the teacher would metaphorically catch him too. Mr. Antolini also acts as a bridge between the increasingly distant society and Holden. Holden walks into Mr. Antolini’s apartment and promptly observes, “The room looked like they just had a party” (236).Mr. Antolini has just finished entertaining, but welcomes Holden as warmly as if he is an invited guest. However, after Mr. Antolini acts “perverty”, Holden’s last metaphorical bridge to the adult world is destroyed making Holden feel even more alienated than ever. Once he loses his connection to this social “bridge” Holden ponders, “I think I was more depressed than I ever was in my whole life” (252). Losing connection to adult society leads Holden to spiral into a deeper void. This loss caused Holden to walk aimlessly through New York City in a panicked state. At every corner, while crossing the street, Holden says, “Allie, don’t let me disappear. Please, Allie” (257), as Holden thinks every corner leads to death. By begging his dead brother, Allie, to help him, Holden shows the reader the intensity of his loneliness and the depth of his decline. This alternate reality that Holden vividly experiences proves how mentally unstable he is becoming, due to the destruction of bridges to society. In The Catcher In the Rye, J.D.
Salinger explores the transition from youth to adulthood through Holden. Holden desperately wants to maintain the positive aspects of childhood while obtaining the benefits given to adults. Without strong family or another adult support system to guide him, Holden’s obsessions and deficiencies dominate him. In the end, the reader is left with the impression that Holden will not have a successful exit from his teenage years. In fact, his alienation from everyone around him is the main reason his decline is both dramatic and inevitable. Thus, the formation of connections to others during teenage years are imperative to healthy mental growth, as shown by Holden
Caulfield.