Now that we’ve finished Catcher
in the Rye, I my doubts on whether or not the “Coming of Age” part of the
novel applies to Holden at all. As the book begins, Holden is reflecting back
on a few days around Christmas time last year saying something crazy happened
during that time. To me, that gives the sense that Holden went through
something that was so momentous he can describe each day in detail to us
readers. We all know he did go through some serious stuff, but he came out from
those experiences pretty much as the same Holden Caulfield as the Holden who
entered them. Every time someone tried to talk to him about being a part of the
world and getting his life together he just shrugged off the thought of submitting
to a phony world as he would put it. Mr. Spencer, Mr. Antolini, and even Phoebe
were unable to make a change in him big enough for him to turn his life in
another direction. I realize this is not the definition of coming of age
(nobody really knows), but for Holden, I feel his coming of age would be when
he finally decides to either try things in the world or just go and be secluded
like he mentioned. He does neither of these. With all of that in mind, how then
does this book count as a coming of age novel? Simple: the concept of coming of
age.
All of
the talks given to Holden about his life and future are, in whole,
conversations about coming of age. “What will you do when you grow up?” “Who do
you want to be?” “Pull yourself together!” All of these are quintessential
questions and statements of defining what it means when you come of age (ie
what will it look like when you come of age?). Along these lines, Holden has an
admiration for children and their simple and happy lives. When he’s near Phoebe
for instance, he is quite content that she doesn’t need to worry about the real
world yet. He’s happy she has yet to come of age. His metaphor for being a
catcher in the rye fields saving kids from falling off a cliff is extremely
vague, but I choose to see it as Holden saving the children from adulthood and
thus coming of age because of his fascination with children and hatred of the
phony adult world.
Although the ending of this novel is kind of ambiguous, I don't think that Holden is the exact same person at the end of the book as he is at the beginning. Some of the conversations that he has with Mr. Antolini and Phoebe stay with him. Mr. Antolini's speech about Holden's "terrible fall" seems to have some kind of an effect on him. When Phoebe asks him some difficult questions, Holden is forced to actually think about what it is that he enjoys. Even though he might not have any answers yet, at least he's started thinking about these questions.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this. I didn't find that Holden matured or changed very much throughout the story, I just felt like he did exactly what he said he was going to do, tell us about the events that happened last Christmas. While there could be an argument that his talk with Phoebe at the end could have that affect on him, I don't think that he has changed how he behaves to people outside of Phoebe, meaning that he hasn't grown up. Well written, and good ideas.
ReplyDeleteThe big question that lingers, of course, is whether it is possible to "save" children in this way. (It would seem that there is not: Phoebe will grow up, go through puberty, become a young woman, etc.--how will Holden deal?) Maybe, with Antolini's advice in mind, the novel does offer some glimpse of how Holden could be a "catcher" while still functioning within society as a relatively sane person: as a writer, sharing his story, he can help others who are struggling with this transition, let them know they aren't alone, to address the aspects of coming-of-age that aren't talked about as much. Think of the strong connection this "screwed-up" kid has made with so many young readers over the years. The novel isn't "saving" anyone from growing up, but it might well be helping readers see a way to do so without compromising their values entirely.
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