Holden Caulfield Character Development

Regardless of how impeccable they might think they are, most adolescents are not finished with the process of developing good character. Trapped between a carefree world lacking in rules and the slightly more stringent adult world, young men and women often struggle with acting in a way that shows their personality but at the same time doesn’t make adults see them as immature. Like many adolescents, Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye hasn’t yet become an adult due to the black-and-white way he sees the world, among other character traits. At times he appears to be making an effort to mature, but rarely succeeds. Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is obsessed with condemning “phonies” despite the fact that …show more content…
Besides, I know it annoyed the hell out of old Ackley...I was pretty sadistic with him quite often.” (Salinger 26) Caulfield has no respect for Ackley, and yet he expects his classmate to be well-mannered towards him. Ironically, Caulfield’s trademark phrase,“phony” is used on everyone but himself. When he catches a subway ride to New York later, he meets Mrs. Morrow, the mother of his classmate Ernie Morrow. Although he clearly despises this boy, he decides to lie about how Morrow is doing in school. He states that Ernie Morrow is an extremely adaptable and funny person, but according to Holden Caulfield he’s a social outcast who likes to slap people with towels. Caulfield’s primary motivation for lying about his classmate seems to be to impress Mrs. Morrow, who according to him “..had quite a lot of sex appeal” (Salinger 63). He later offered her a cigarette and a drink. Caulfield has a serious issue with recognizing his own faults, and this will no doubt hurt him even more as he grows …show more content…
He seems to show some affection for his older brother D.B as well, but his two younger siblings get most of the attention when it comes to family. Although Allie passed away from Leukemia when Holden Caulfield was thirteen, he still thinks of Allie daily. He admires how intelligent and joyful Allie was before he became sick and was so devastated when he died that he broke some windows in his garage. Caulfield’s sister, Phoebe, is also intelligent and very mature for her age. Because of this, Caulfield often uses her as a crucial source of comfort. He thought about calling her a couple of times before deciding to sneak into her apartment. While there, they talk for a long time and the two siblings seem relieved to see each other. She chastises Caulfield for