“Growth is painful. Change is painful. But, nothing is as painful as staying stuck where you do not belong” (Murthy). Change is difficult but imperative to evolve. Many are averse to change, however, without change a person cannot progress in life. The transition from childhood to adulthood is an example of an inevitable change in life. Ultimately, as demonstrated in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the passage to adulthood is strenuous but feasible for Holden, a 16 year old alienated boy. Salinger displays his critical views of the struggle to cross the threshold to adulthood by exposing Holden to an appalling world of adults. Salinger represents the attempt to transition to adulthood as demonstrated with Holden’s perspective on
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For instance, Salinger is adroit when explaining Holden’s perspective of Allie, Holden’s younger brother who passed away. When writing Stradlater’s composition, which Stradlater wanted to be descriptive, Holden writes about Allie’s baseball mitt. Holden states, “My brother Allie had this left-handed fielder’s mitt. He was left handed. The thing that was descriptive about it, though, was that he had poems written all over the fingers and the pocket and everywhere… Old Allie’s baseball mitt. I happened to have it with me, in my suitcase” (Salinger 43-44). Moreover, one of the main problems holding Holden back from moving on and transitioning is Salinger tentatively implying Holden is not ready to let go, continuing to hold on to his the memories of the past as indicated with the baseball mitt. In Salinger’s perspective, Holden is drawn to write about what was endearing to Allie. Salinger wants the reader to realize Holden is struggling to cope with the fact Allie is gone, creating a motif of desolation. Additionally, Salinger displays Holden retaining his childhood innocence when Holden worries about what Stradlater, Holden’s roommate did with Jane, Holden’s childhood friend. Holden asks, “‘If you didn’t go to New York, where’d you go with [Jane]?’ [Holden] asked him, after a little while. [Holden] could hardly keep [his] voice from shaking all over the place. Boy, was [Holden] getting nervous. [He] just had a feeling something had gone funny” (Salinger 48). Consequently, Salinger preserves Holden’s memories with his childhood friend, Jane. Thus representing Holden’s purity when he started to shake and become nervous as he was worried about Jane and what Stradlater did to her. Holden was unable to let go of the thought of Stradlater being disrespectful to Jane. Overall, Salinger expresses his attitude towards
For instance, Salinger is adroit when explaining Holden’s perspective of Allie, Holden’s younger brother who passed away. When writing Stradlater’s composition, which Stradlater wanted to be descriptive, Holden writes about Allie’s baseball mitt. Holden states, “My brother Allie had this left-handed fielder’s mitt. He was left handed. The thing that was descriptive about it, though, was that he had poems written all over the fingers and the pocket and everywhere… Old Allie’s baseball mitt. I happened to have it with me, in my suitcase” (Salinger 43-44). Moreover, one of the main problems holding Holden back from moving on and transitioning is Salinger tentatively implying Holden is not ready to let go, continuing to hold on to his the memories of the past as indicated with the baseball mitt. In Salinger’s perspective, Holden is drawn to write about what was endearing to Allie. Salinger wants the reader to realize Holden is struggling to cope with the fact Allie is gone, creating a motif of desolation. Additionally, Salinger displays Holden retaining his childhood innocence when Holden worries about what Stradlater, Holden’s roommate did with Jane, Holden’s childhood friend. Holden asks, “‘If you didn’t go to New York, where’d you go with [Jane]?’ [Holden] asked him, after a little while. [Holden] could hardly keep [his] voice from shaking all over the place. Boy, was [Holden] getting nervous. [He] just had a feeling something had gone funny” (Salinger 48). Consequently, Salinger preserves Holden’s memories with his childhood friend, Jane. Thus representing Holden’s purity when he started to shake and become nervous as he was worried about Jane and what Stradlater did to her. Holden was unable to let go of the thought of Stradlater being disrespectful to Jane. Overall, Salinger expresses his attitude towards