Character Analysis: So We Keep Waiting On The World To Change

In the song by John Mayer “Waiting on the World to Change”, he sings, “So we keep waiting, waiting on the world to change”. In the song, he is telling us that he and his friend are waiting for the world to change, rather than them changing with it. Mayer is conveying to us that they feel helpless, powerless, and think they can not make a difference in the world, so they simply wait for the world to come to them. In J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye, the main character Holden has the same attitude. He refuses to adapt to the change occuring around him and does not want to go through adolescence. Holden does not have any desire to be more mature or learn take on his own responsibilities. He starts to slip into a metal fall. Holden's life continues to fall apart as he does not want to change with the environment around him and as a result of that, he starts to feel alone and invisible.
Holden does not want to face the fact that he has to grow up to take on the responsibilities of adulthood and adapt to the world around him. When Holden is talking about all the good memories he had at the museum, he says, “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was…. The only thing that would be different would be you” (Salinger 135). Holden does not like change, and he wants life the way he wants it to be. He refuses to grow up and adapt to the constant change of people, places, and things. Holden can relate to the museum because the exhibits don’t change, and he does not want change …show more content…
Even though Holden thinks he is taking on the world in the right direction, he is in a state of denial, and is without question, depressed and lonely. Salenger uses the ducks to resemble Holden’s condition, which is disappearing from humanity, a feeling of invisibility, and a never changing environment; things will always be the