“People never grow up, they just learn how to act in public,” (Brian White). In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, we follow the endeavors of a 17 year old Holden Caulfield as he struggles to find himself. He begins the book as a perceptive but disinterested youth who, after being expelled out of one of many preparatory schools, finds himself wandering the city of New York. Throughout the story, Holden strives for adulthood but at the same time being unable to truly escape his naive childhood. In the end, he has escaped the bonds of childhood but has not yet found himself become a true adult. Holden’s struggles between getting to the adult world and staying in the child realm of life are shown through adult behavior, lies, and his mindset
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Holden thinks about the ducks in the lagoon down in Central Park quite often throughout the story, and tells the reader for the first time, “I live in New York, and I was thinking about the lagoon in Central Park. . . if it would be frozen over when i got home, and if it was, where did the ducks to,” (Salinger 13). The ducks in Central Park can represent a few things when in comparison to Holden and his life. They could represent innocence while being small and harmless. No matter the species, the young ones eventually leave home which in this case is the lagoon. For both Holden and the birds, there is not an explicit set destination when the state of both their homes have been changed: the ducks home freezes and Holden’s home goes into a major loss depression after the death of his brother, Allie. Holden’s question of whether the ducks will return or not is exactly the same one he has to ask himself. This very question, along with where they go, also makes others look at him as crazy or childish because most 17 year olds already know the answer. Along with having a connection to home, Holden also connects back to his true individuality and the comfort that follows when wearing his red hunting hat while explaining, “I swung the old peak way around to the back- very corny, I’ll admit, but I liked it that way,” (Salinger 18). Holden seems to wear his hat during two emotional occurrences: when doing something enjoyable or thinking about his childhood and the good aspects of it. THis hat could symbolize his individuality because of the way he wears it, showing his defiance against conformity. It could also symbolize his comfort and a safe place in his childhood when wearing the hat. Holden’s strength in having a source of individuality, which most likely comes from Allie’s, his late brother, red hair, is repelled by
Holden thinks about the ducks in the lagoon down in Central Park quite often throughout the story, and tells the reader for the first time, “I live in New York, and I was thinking about the lagoon in Central Park. . . if it would be frozen over when i got home, and if it was, where did the ducks to,” (Salinger 13). The ducks in Central Park can represent a few things when in comparison to Holden and his life. They could represent innocence while being small and harmless. No matter the species, the young ones eventually leave home which in this case is the lagoon. For both Holden and the birds, there is not an explicit set destination when the state of both their homes have been changed: the ducks home freezes and Holden’s home goes into a major loss depression after the death of his brother, Allie. Holden’s question of whether the ducks will return or not is exactly the same one he has to ask himself. This very question, along with where they go, also makes others look at him as crazy or childish because most 17 year olds already know the answer. Along with having a connection to home, Holden also connects back to his true individuality and the comfort that follows when wearing his red hunting hat while explaining, “I swung the old peak way around to the back- very corny, I’ll admit, but I liked it that way,” (Salinger 18). Holden seems to wear his hat during two emotional occurrences: when doing something enjoyable or thinking about his childhood and the good aspects of it. THis hat could symbolize his individuality because of the way he wears it, showing his defiance against conformity. It could also symbolize his comfort and a safe place in his childhood when wearing the hat. Holden’s strength in having a source of individuality, which most likely comes from Allie’s, his late brother, red hair, is repelled by