Holden Caulfield's Fear Of Becoming An Adult

Most teenagers as they grow older fantasize about becoming an adult because they will no longer be under their parents’ rules and restrictions, and have 100% control over their own lives and the decisions made. Often, the new adults realize the extreme amount of responsibility, self control, and smart decision making causing them to become overwhelmed. This overall cycle is usually associated with teenage adolescence. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is extremely scared of entering adulthood, which is caused by his loss of innocence as a child. Holden’s fear of becoming an adult causes him to have an obsession with preserving youth and the innocence that comes with it. Holden uses what he describes as “Phoniness” to show his true fear of becoming an adult. Phoniness describes the one-dimensional mindset and lies of adulthood, as in lots of things are a lie, but only looking at it from one point of view makes it seem real. Holden feels all adults are phony, and by avoiding adulthood, he doesn’t have a chance of being a phony. At the several private schools he attends, the phoniness of the adult world soaks into the children's’ mindset as they enter adulthood. This change bothers Holden, which shows …show more content…
The night Allie died of leukemia, Holden raged and broke all the windows in his garage with his hands. “I broke all the goddamn windows with my fists, just for the hell of it. I even tried to break all the windows on the station wagon we had that summer, but my hand was already broken…” (Salinger 50) His anger and grief caused his impaired right hand, which entitled him to Allie’s left handed fielders mitt. The baseball glove “catches” Holden from freaking out and entering a phony mindset. Allie’s glove is a huge inspiration on Holden’s life, and helps keep his