D. Salinger. Salinger has knowledge of how corrupted the world may be, whereabouts Holden lacks knowledge, showing Salinger’s desire to be oblivious to the corrupted world. Holden values the ideals of youth because he wants to be the “catcher in the rye.” Metaphorically speaking, Holden wants to catch the innocent souls before they go off the cliff to maturation. Holden forms a preconscious state when he believes Jean Gallagher is the same girl that he grew up with, falling in love with her past self, not being conscious of the fact that people change over time. One can observe Holden’s preconscious state: “Jane Gallagher. Jesus. I couldn 't get her off my mind[...]” (Salinger 33). Another prime example of Holden’s unconscious mindset is trying to connect and sympathize for James Castle. Holden tries to connect with James Castle and relate to James’s death because Holden knows James will never grow up and Holden values James’s bravery for sticking up for what he believes in. Salinger’s appreciation for James Castle appears as a symbol of Jesus Christ; both represent saviors for the innocent who die committing acts of bravery. (parapharize) Holden’s younger brother, Allie, who died of leukemia, influences Holden’s life and is the main reason why he can 't understand the process of maturing. Holden also finds Phoebe to be realistic, but towards the end of the story one can observe Holden’s realization …show more content…
Salinger creatively uses his life experiences through Holden to explain the disadvantages of maturing in a corrupted world. The Catcher in the Rye relates to today’s society and can be analyzed to find similarities from Holden to one’s own self to see how the reader affects society. Salinger and Holden’s struggle in boarding schools give the reader a deeper message: everyone has flaws and we can learn from them or create discoveries about ourselves that may affect us later on in life. Salinger and Holden’s fascination for younger individuals give the reader a realization that when one regrets the process of maturation, we take the oblivious childhood days for granted: we all want to become innocent again. Isolation gives one time to process the future and protect one’s self from being affected by society’s structure. The Catcher in the Rye is going to be scrutinized by critics to analyze the mindset when facing the change of transitioning into adulthood. If Salinger writes and tells us why we shouldn’t grow up, why do humans feel the need jump over the cliff, if we know the struggles we see others go