Accepting the World in Catcher in the Rye
In Salinger's Catcher in the
Rye, the reader is taken through a
journey of a boy who has yet to become
a man. It also suggest that distorted
adolescents can progress toward
maturity as they reject the stability
of isolation and accept themselves and
the world despite obvious
imperfections.
In Catcher in the Rye the 17-
19 year old narrator, Holden,
illustrates that his mental state is
distorted with depression, fear of
change, and has death issues. From
the beginning of the book it is
evident he has depression issues. The
first occurrence of depression begins
on page seven, when he goes to visit
his old professor Mr. Spencer who is
sick. This also illustrates Holden's
issues with death and sickness: "It
was pretty depressing. I'm not to
crazy about sick people, anyway."
Holden reveals his issues with change
repeatedly throughout the book.
On
page 121 Holden elaborates on the
unchanging of the Natural History
Museum, which reveals the museum as a
symbol of an unchanged environment.
Holden says that the best thing about
the museum was that everything always
stayed right where it was, not the
cool Eskimo sitting around a whole in
the ice fishing, or the Indians
rubbing sticks together to make fire.
He does not seem to be interested in
what the museum preserves, but that it
keeps everything the same each time he
comes. "The only thing that would be
different would be you." In this same
paragraph on page 121 Holden ties
death and change together. He further
explains what would be different each
time he would go. He reveals that
your age wouldn't differ, but,
maybe "the kid that was your partner
in line the last time had got scarlet
fever and you'd...