Holden Caulfield's Stages Of Psychological Development In The Catcher In The Rye

The Catcher in the Rye illustrates within its masterful pages the gradual maturation of an immature boy into a self-reliant young man. It is the unorthodox story of seventeen year-old Holden Caulfield, who is growing up in the decadent world of New York. He has thus far been unable to come terms with the fact that eventually, he must grow up, and that the world will never be pure. Holden has profound difficulty in accepting the inevitable, which in turn delays any form of progression towards adulthood. Caulfield’s rite of passage is at last accomplished through the occurrence of independent events that allowed for an epiphany in the form of the Central Park carousel in the last lines of the novel. Consequent release from his pessimistic, childish …show more content…
This ability is not instinctive, but instead learned over the course of childhood. According to Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, Holden Caulfield falls into the 13-19 age range. Individuals in this category deal with the virtue of fidelity, and struggle with identity versus role confusion. Peers and role models stand out as the most significant relationships in their lives, and overall questions such as “Who am I?” and “What can I be?” are dominant within their minds. Holden certainly struggles with these specifics. However, a typical teenager struggling with normal adolescent problems such as making friends and coping with failure, he is …show more content…
He accepts in part that he is unable to protect both himself and young children from growing up. His opinions of the world as a phony and corrupt place have not been modified, but a final realization is a major step in his emotional development and toward manhood. This occurs after he sees another profane message scratched into the sacred Egyptian tomb. He realizes that he can’t escape perversion even in the presence of this ancient relic. It would be impossible to erase all obscenity from the world. Every child is going to have to experience it, and be concerned with its meaning. Through the use of several supporting events, Salinger throws Holden into a nervous breakdown due to this sickening certainty. In a state of desperate longing, Holden relays to us while watching his little sister on the merry-go-round in Central Park that
All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she’d fall off the goddam horse, but I didn’t say anything or do anything. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them. (Salinger