From Childhood To Adulthood In The Catcher In The Rye

In each field of contemporary study, the passage from childhood to adulthood can be marked by one definitive point. According to Psychoanalysts, humans reach their pinnacle once they have matured their sexual interests, while Humanists discuss self-actualization. The Apache have the Sunrise Ceremony, and the Amish have Rumspringa. This common thread stretches across every major- childhood to adulthood is one clean transition. Contrasted in literature, The Catcher in the Rye’s Holden Caulfield challenges adulthood as one continuous, damned journey to corruption.

I cannot say I agree with any of these theories, nor have I had one moment that shifted me from doe-eyed girlhood to jaunting realism. Yes, there have been adventures that projected illusions of adulthood. The menarche, mimicking the Tamil ceremony of Sri Lanka. The cliche of …show more content…
I keep a necessary balance between cynicism and my everlasting nostalgia of viewing the world how I did when my biggest woes were the grass stains on my lace socks. It has become my objective to keep my sincerity throughout my maturation.

It's possible to be socially aware, yet deliberately naive

My second time reading The Catcher in the Rye, I realized that Holden transitions from a martyr of childhood to a sentimental realist by considering Phoebe’s perspective of hope. We want to preserve our virility in a museum, and see where the ducks go once they’ve entered the winters of concreteness. But, we could look at this through the tender eyes of Phoebe Caulfield, wearing her blue coat, in a cyclical movement on the carousel, voyaging between innocence and corruption. Keeping an equilibrium, and knowing that everything will be safe in adulthood.

I’ve chosen to theorize with Phoebe, in my old raincoat, going around and around. Going from awareness to innocence daily.

And trust me. I’m so goddamn