Holden’ On to Childhood
Right from the start of The Catcher in the Rye , we’ve been exposed to Holden’s distinct narrative style including his strong thoughts, opinions, and views of the world. We’ve seen that he calls most things “phony” and can almost always find something negative to say about others when he meets them. Even the people he seems to like at first, such as Ernest’s mother whom he meets on the train, he criticizes. However, there are three people that Holden has never, not even in his inner dialogue, said anything negative about: Jane, Allie, and Phoebe. What they all have in common is that Holden’s memories of them are all of childhood and the accompanying innocence and freedom. What Holden seems to believe is that when one becomes an adult, they only act to follow the meaningless conventions and expectations of society, or to earn money and recognition. However, children are free of this manipulation and the expectations, and they act genuinely to have a good life. Holden does not at all rel