Bildungsroman Novel: The Second Stage Of Holden In The Rye

The second stage of a Bildungsroman novel shows the protagonist’s journey alone where he is challenged on his previous ways of thinking. The first way that Holden is challenged on his journey alone is when he sneaks into his apartment to visit his little sister Phoebe. Nevertheless, he has to avoid running into his parents as he does not want unnecessary confrontation before his news of expulsion is announced. Luckily, they are not home. However, when Holden arrives home early, Phoebe immediately knows he has been expelled. She is thoroughly upset and confronts Holden by asking him to name one thing that he likes a lot. When the only answer he can think of is Allie she is discontented and visibly shows her disapproval. Ultimately, Holden tries …show more content…
Additionally, she acts to his character development as he becomes distinctively aware of how much of a bad influence he has on her. For example, Phoebe is defiantly following in his footsteps by swearing and running away from home. Sooner or later, he comes to an understanding that he cannot be the catcher in the rye for children when he is being hypocritical himself by demonstrating opposite actions of a typical role model and finally decides to clean up his act. This is demonstrated when Holden conclusively decides that “Come on, hey. I’ll walk you back to school” (Salinger 208). Holden is not willing to run away with his sister because he feels responsible for her wellbeing and therefore, feels the need to protect her. So when she continuously demands to run away with him, he takes responsibility like an adult to convince her that neither he or she is leaving home. Holden realizes that she needs him in her life and that’s when he decides to face the tough decision of no longer running away. During this turning point in his life, he becomes a more thoughtful and considerate individual. As the novel finalizes, Holden soon comes to