Maturing Catcher In The Rye Analysis

Throughout the novel, Salinger outlines the process of maturing from adolescence. Aside from the main character, Holden, who exhibits an aversion to change and development, the majority of children in this novel display a healthy maturing process. “Catcher in the Rye,” the title of the novel, holds great significance as to what Salinger believes the process of growing up entails. The poem from which the novel receives its name, “Comin thro’ the rye,” features a girl laboriously walking through a wet rye field; this introduction represents the struggle of maturing. As the poem progresses, however, the girl meets another person coming through the rye, kisses that individual, and thus gains an experience for purely herself. Thematically, the poem …show more content…
Arguably, the most distinguishing structural characteristics of “Catcher in the Rye” are the first person narrative and unique diction. The diction differs from many other novels or formal writing pieces in that it acknowledges the reader, such as when Holden says “you’d have liked him”(p.49). Furthermore, Holden exaggerates his feelings, experiencing many emotional extremes (from depressed to ‘damn happy’), allowing the reader to easily track how Holden feels. These aspects of the novel 's structure serve to illustrate its purpose. This novel seems to function as more of a character study than a didactic allegory (common for classic novels). Holden’s perceptions alter the story’s reality; as a result, any universal themes that exist in the world are lost due to alteration from Holden’s consciousness before reaching the reader. Providing a ubiquitous moral theme acts not as the primary purpose of this novel, rather it is intended to be a tool for an individual to gauge if they have matured themselves to the point of living a fulfilling life. Salinger presents to the reader what it means to mature, to create a set of morals (even if one has to suffer to achieve this) and make decisions based on them, without necessarily telling them how to feel about this. The reader and Holden are put in similar situations at the conclusion of the …show more content…
Contrarily, this novel provides a resource for young adults to evaluate their own identity, as compared to that of a character that embodies immaturity, often resulting in an increased maturity level. Withholding this novel from youths would render it severely less influential. While, in adulthood, individuals often have a conception of who they are, adolescents are in commonly in a constant search for identity. With a novel that requires a level of immaturity and personal confusion in the reader to act in a useful manner, the virtual stability of adults leads them to gain little from the characters’ struggles. Although the novel may be more applicable to adolescents, The feelings experienced by Holden are universal; The intent of the novel is the reader 's unique and personal improvement, regardless of age or other external