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.