The Catcher in the Rye #8

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

"The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one" (Salinger, 188).

The entire book of The Catcher in the Rye brought up the topic of growing up. Holden clearly does not want to grow up and does not want anyone else to have to either. Although Holden does not seem to be clear of mind throughout the novel, he seemed to be in a lot of stress for many reasons. All adolescents reach this point in time where they feel alone and feel like they do not fit in. The death of his brother seemed to be right in the middle of the confused phase leading for Holden to feel and be worse than he already was. The note that Mr. Antolini gave Holden seemed to help him understand what he was doing with his life. At this point, he wanted to be noticed for acting out and later noticed for staying young in an adult world. The quote seems to help Holden realize he needs to live for helping people stay young, but that it should not matter if he failed or not as long as he tried to reach it. Also, the ending of the novel might not seem totally clear and straightforward. I think that is because the change was not physical but philosophical for Holden. Holden had a change of mind about his situation as he spoke to many people that made him examine his life and purpose. Through the few days Holden spent roaming, I believe he learned more than he would have if he stayed at school. 

The Catcher in the Rye #7

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

"All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she's fall of 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, 211).

The change in Holden and the realization Holden makes about himself and the world around him comes at the very end of the novel. As he watches Phoebe on the carousel, he knows that despite everything he could do to prevent children from growing up, they still have to grow up eventually. The theme of the novel comes from Holden not wanting to move into having responsibility and worry like an adult has. Overall, Holden does not want to be like his parents or end up in a situation like his parents are. Holden wants to stay young and keep young. The quote deals with Holden's realization that he cannot prevent anyone from growing up, even himself or Phoebe. He has to deal with growing up and that sometimes he can fall, but that if he is not allowed to fall, he will not know how to get back up. I believe that this allows Holden to move on past his brother's death and everything surrounding it to live a life for himself and not for his brother.