Was the Catcher in The Rye a successful coming of age novel?

In the beginning of the novel we are introduced to Holden as a nonchalant, sarcastic, care-free, observant, and overly critical narrator. In addition to that we see that Holden generally expresses a strong feeling of contempt towards people and the way society functions as a whole.

This story is narrated in quite a unique way allowing the reader to feel like Holden's closest friend and confidant. As the reader we see Holden's private and public self, due to this unique position we are able to clearly see Holden's downward spiral as he evades the concept of growing up throughout the novel. Holden not applying himself in school is a great example of his refusal to face adulthood. When a kid graduates high school it is usually looked at as a crossing from childhood to adulthood; from depending on your parents to independence. Holden's refusal to apply himself and reach the next step in life shows how he is attempting to evade growing up. In addition to not applying himself in school, his hesitation to enter the natural history museum is another good example. Holden was afraid that the Natural History Museum wouldn't be the same because he was afraid he had changed too much, or it had changed. This shows Holden's fear of facing the fact that he is getting older and slowly growing out of childhood. In order for Holden to come of age he needs to face adulthood, and take the steps necessary to 'grow up'.

 Throughout the Catcher in the Rye I constantly found myself wondering when Holden's turning point would be, and when he would realize that the path he was taking was only leading to destruction. As we approached the ending I was convinced that The Catcher in the Rye was going to be a failed coming of age novel ending with Holden never facing his fears of adulthood. But the novel took a surprising turn when Holden's little sister, Phoebe. Showed up ready to quit school and run away with Holden. Holden seeing himself in his little sister, a person who he adored was a wake up call for him. He realized that if she ran away she wouldn't be in the play, or see a movie with friends again, or go to the Natural History Museum on weekends. He realized that she would never be able to grow up. This epiphany made Holden realize that if he believed Phoebe couldn't just run away neither could he. He realized that he would have to face his fears of adulthood so that he could reach his next step in life. 

The novel ends with Holden in some facility presumably getting better from some sort of illness. Holden mentions that he will be returning to school and plans on applying himself when he gets back meaning he is willing to start moving foreword with his life. This gives the reader hope that Holden will continue the rest of his life embracing adulthood rather than running from it. With that said I believe the Catcher in The Rye is a successful coming of age novel having Holden finally face his fears and change for the better.

Comments

  1. AnkitaMarch 2, 2023 at 5:37 PM

    Good post! I like how you point out that Holden's change of heart at the end of the novel is unexpected. I also think it's interesting that most of the process of getting past his fear of growing up is done in the space between Phoebe on the merry-go-round and whenever Holden is narrating. During most of the book he sinks deeper in his conviction that growing up inherently means becoming a 'phony'.

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  2. MitchellMarch 10, 2023 at 12:18 PM

    I like this reading of Phoebe's effect on Holden as a "turning point"--we can't say for certain that he WILL be a lot better off at his next school (and I personally think he needs to cut out the prep-school stuff entirely and just go to a public school, but that might not be in his parents' plans for him), but that's largely because HE refuses to say for sure whether he's been "reformed" or not. But the scene with Phoebe is decisive--in a very real sense, not only does he face his anxieties about adulthood in an abstract sense, he *takes responsibility* for his actions and the effect they have on his loved ones. He *acts like an adult* and even a quasi-parent to Phoebe, sincerely insisting that she not quit school and run away because she "can't". Of course, the same message applies to himself, and by taking responsibility for Phoebe and his influence over her, he is also taking responsibility for his own actions. He agrees to go home, and give up this whole "run away out west" thing. He can't stand the idea that she might miss performing in the play *because of him*.

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