Catcher in the Rye

In JD Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, a troubled teenager struggles with the fact that everyone has to grow up. His name is Holden Caufield. He constantly shows how wrong adulthood is compared to childhood. The book gets its name from Holden's constant concern with the loss of innocence. He did not want children to grow up because he felt that adults are dishonest. For example, when Holden tries to erase naughty words from the walls of an elementary school where his younger sister Phoebe went to. Holden believed that children were innocent because they viewed the world without any stereotypical influence. When Phoebe asked him to name something that he would like to be when he grew up, the only thing he said was to be the "Catcher in the rye." He thought, "I kept 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. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be." (p.173) Holden wants to stop children from "falling" into adulthood and being corrupt.

In the beginning of Catcher in the Rye, the main character is a young man, roughly around the age of 15. Throughout the book, he takes steps and the forces of change take a toll on his childish ways. In the end, he seems to be changed into a man. Holden is definitely immature in the beginning of the story. He stereotypes almost every person he meets as a "phony". He feels that he is surrounded by phonys at his school. Principal Thurmer, the principal of Holden's high school, Pencey, was the leader of the whole thing. During a teacher/parent day, Principal Thurmer would only say hello to the wealthy parents of students. He would not speak with those that were not wealthy, because he was a phony. Holden also is irresponsible throughout the whole book. He was the equipment manager of the fencing team at Pencey, but he lost the equipment on the train. He also dropped out of two schools for lack of effort. Holden also had a daydream about two children who never grew up, who remained in a perfect world forever. This daydream is a result of his younger brother Allie's death. Allie represents the unchangeable youth of which Holden must let go if he ever expects to maintain normal. His glorification of children, admiration