... accept change that cause him to be depressed. Holden is a teenager who fears the idea of children losing their innocence and growing into adulthood. On Holden's journey through New York City, he encounters several situations that illuminate his hatred for what adults turn out to be, ... to Mr. Antolini's attempt to seduce him exemplifies one of Holden's many unpleasant experiences with adults, which is the reason Holden fears the idea of children growing up and losing their innocence. Furthermore, Holden feels that adulthood represents conformity and he views conformity as phony or fake....

• Word Count: 2186
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

Some people believe that adolescent experiences determine the kind of person one will become in the future, however, there are many facts one must first look upon. As an adolescent, an ... struggles with the rules of society, growing up, and forgetting about the past. Holden's background history is the leading cause of his struggles to find a pathway to adulthood. In his past, he had flunked out of three private prep schools, experienced the death of his younger brother, Allie, and faced the expectations put upon him by ... help deal with the pressures of growing up. The way he looked over A...

• Word Count: 930
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... connotation of the preservation of innocence and the pursuit of compassion. With certain elegance the writer J.D. Salinger, substantiates the growth and perils, which lie between childhood and adulthood. Embellishing the separation between innocence and squalor in the grasps of society. The bridge that lies between these contrasting themes are personified through the novel's protagonist, Holden ... and evil; childhood is good, the only pure good, but it is surrounded by perils, the cliff of adolescence over which the children will plunge in the evil of adulthood unless stopped. But finall...

• Word Count: 1050
• Approx Pages: 4

... York City, he began to publish short stories in the periodicals in 1940. After World War II, his stories, some based on his army experiences, appeared increasingly in the New Yorker. His entire literary output comprises 13 stories and novellas collected in Nine Stories (1953), Franny and Zooey (1961 ... stay in a cheap hotel in New York City, going home on the only on the day he was originally expected. The novel charts Holden's experiences over a period of about forty hours, starting from the time he leaves Pencey Prep. Holden encounters a large number of people as he traverses ... beca...

• Word Count: 1487
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... " (Crane 5). This blatant betrayal of his mom's wishes demonstrates his newfound goals in life, as he puts himself in a position in which he will need to assume the responsibilities of adulthood. As another sign of the Separation Stage Henry displays instability, as he is constantly second guessing himself and warping himself of confidence. During a shooting opportunity in battle Henry, "Caught sight ... , revealing one of many glimpses of maturity he demonstrates dispersed throughout the text. After an intense fight scene with Maurice, an Elevator man by day and a pimp by night, Holden e...

• Word Count: 2038
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... by Jerome David Salinger illustrates events of a troubled childhood of a teenager, named Holden Caulfield. Holden presents difficulty in his transition from youth to adulthood. He reveals very confused image throughout the novel and doesn't know how to handle the fact that he has to grow up and become a ... what has happened in Salinger's life is discretely inserted in the novel using Holden's character. Salinger has written the novel to somehow demonstrate past experiences in his life without having to let the reader know that he was writing about himself. Therefore Holden serves as a...

• Word Count: 1247
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... afraid of his parents picking up. Once at his hotel he decides to go down to the nightclub and have a few drinks. This is one of many misadventures that Holden experiences on his search for human interaction. He is given a lousy table and refused to be served alcohol, but finds himself getting up enough courage to ask a pretty blonde to dance ... . Holden interprets one line in the song, "If a body meet a body coming through the rye," as meaning someone is out there trying to catch the children and save them from adulthood. Holden wishes he was this "catcher in the rye" so he can prevent...

• Word Count: 1626
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... . In the novel, Holden suffers from attachment avoidance in many of his relationships, except for when it comes to his relationships with children. Throughout the story, Holden reminisces on his experiences as a child, and the people who influenced his life the most. One of these people, someone extremely special to Holden, is his childhood friend, Jane Gallagher. He and Jane were ... identical to Holden himself. It is almost as if Phoebe is a younger version of Holden, which is the reason why he wants to protect her from the scary world of adulthood. First, Holden is secure in this rela...

• Word Count: 1900
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... avoid his problems and responsibilities. He believes that all American adults are fake and superficial. This mentality can be interpreted as simply a way for Holden to avoid the responsibilities of adulthood, and to deny the need to grow up. Because he refuses to mature, Holden fails to take responsibility for being expelled from numerous private schools, and refuses to put even ... facet of American society. This unsettling pressure, coupled with traumatic events, cause the Narrator and Holden to act out of character, and to become someone they are not. The Narrator experiences two tra...

• Word Count: 3026
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School

... Mr. Antolini to be making a homosexual advance toward him, Holden leaves his apartment, and spends the rest of the night on a bench in Grand Central Station. The next day Holden experiences the worst phase of his nervous breakdown. He wanders the streets, looking at children and talking to Allie. He tries to leave New York forever and hitchhike west, but when ... ; his cynicism is his attempt to protect himself from the pain and disappointment of the adult world. As the novel opens, Holden stands poised on the cliff separating childhood from adulthood; his damaged innocence also leaves h...

• Word Count: 1065
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School