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.