Terri Apter once said that “adolescence is society 's permission slip for combining physical maturity with psychological irresponsibility.” Adolescence, or more precisely the transition from childhood to adulthood, is often associated with one’s struggle to become unique and create a bright future. A stage in life full of self-discovery and an acceptance of the responsibilities of adulthood, adolescence can be a daunting, yet truly fulfilling experience. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and in the 2013 film The Spectacular Now, Holden Caulfield and Sutter Keely, two high school seniors, struggle to accept the inevitability of growing up, and they illustrate their reluctance to move on through their erratic behaviour and
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Sutter, on one hand, emphasizes the importance of living in the moment, and has no real path to follow for his future, using alcohol to numb the pain. Holden, similarly, is unaware of where he wants to go in life, but unlike Sutter, who is very irresponsible with his drinking problems, Holden tries to act in a saintly way and seems to believe he is perfect.
To begin with, the reader is quick to see that Holden Caulfield is very questionable about the morals of those around him. He continually points out the phoniness in the adults he encounters; to him, phoniness is reflected by those with a lack of innocence and those that display self-confidence, as well as “show-offs” and people that care about their reputation – or as he frames it, their popularity. His inability to transition into adulthood is seen not only by seeking out the phoniness that exists around him, but also his desire to hold a close relationship to museums, which are symbolic of their stable nature, as well as his desire to protection the …show more content…
For Holden, it is the death of his younger brother Allie that restrains him from moving forward. He was the “most intelligent member of the family”, and “also the nicest”; he “never got mad at anybody” (Salinger, 50). Allie represents the gifted innocence of childhood and his spiritual presence throughout the novel is seen during Holden’s darkest times. For example, when Holden has almost it rock bottom, thinking he would not be able to “get to the other side of the street”(Salinger, 256), he began to talk to Allie, asking him to make sure he would not “let [him] disappear” (Salinger, 257). Similarly, Sutter’s father is not an active part of his life, and the unknown nature of his father and the mystery that lies in the gaps of growing up without two parent is a substantial part of Sutter’s reckless behavior. A turning point for Sutter is when he finally works up the courage to find out who is father is and the story behind his disappearance. Initially, Sutter is excited to see his father after a phone conversation that has Mr. Keely ready and waiting to finally meet his son again. It is only after discovering the truth about his father’s abandonment that Sutter begins to see his future self if he does not smarten up. His father is a drunken mess, who lives like an adult version of Sutter, embracing the now and ignoring the
Sutter, on one hand, emphasizes the importance of living in the moment, and has no real path to follow for his future, using alcohol to numb the pain. Holden, similarly, is unaware of where he wants to go in life, but unlike Sutter, who is very irresponsible with his drinking problems, Holden tries to act in a saintly way and seems to believe he is perfect.
To begin with, the reader is quick to see that Holden Caulfield is very questionable about the morals of those around him. He continually points out the phoniness in the adults he encounters; to him, phoniness is reflected by those with a lack of innocence and those that display self-confidence, as well as “show-offs” and people that care about their reputation – or as he frames it, their popularity. His inability to transition into adulthood is seen not only by seeking out the phoniness that exists around him, but also his desire to hold a close relationship to museums, which are symbolic of their stable nature, as well as his desire to protection the …show more content…
For Holden, it is the death of his younger brother Allie that restrains him from moving forward. He was the “most intelligent member of the family”, and “also the nicest”; he “never got mad at anybody” (Salinger, 50). Allie represents the gifted innocence of childhood and his spiritual presence throughout the novel is seen during Holden’s darkest times. For example, when Holden has almost it rock bottom, thinking he would not be able to “get to the other side of the street”(Salinger, 256), he began to talk to Allie, asking him to make sure he would not “let [him] disappear” (Salinger, 257). Similarly, Sutter’s father is not an active part of his life, and the unknown nature of his father and the mystery that lies in the gaps of growing up without two parent is a substantial part of Sutter’s reckless behavior. A turning point for Sutter is when he finally works up the courage to find out who is father is and the story behind his disappearance. Initially, Sutter is excited to see his father after a phone conversation that has Mr. Keely ready and waiting to finally meet his son again. It is only after discovering the truth about his father’s abandonment that Sutter begins to see his future self if he does not smarten up. His father is a drunken mess, who lives like an adult version of Sutter, embracing the now and ignoring the