What Is The Theme Of Growing Up In Catcher In The Rye

Holden Caulfield. A troubled teenager who has experienced tragic events in his life such as the loss of his beloved brother Allie and getting kicked out of school four times for failing a majority of his classes. However, Holden’s biggest fear in The Catcher in the Rye is acknowledging adulthood and growing up. He believes that adults are inevitably “phonies” and as a result they stand as a symbol of everything that's wrong in the world- his world. Slowly, Holden starts to understand the concept of adulthood and has a chance to face his fear of growing up as his sister Phoebe sheds some light in his complicated life. The scene where Holden is out in the rain watching Phoebe go around and around on the carousel, is the most effective use of

So when Holden decides to say one final goodbye to “old Phoebe” before he starts his trip out west, his perception of adulthood starts to change as he beginnings to realize that growing up isn't the worst thing in the world. Both siblings meet at the museum, but what's surprising is that Phoebe is carrying a suitcase and tells Holden “I'm going with you. Can I? Okay?”, Holden's response is “No. Shut up.” Soon after Phoebe starts to cry and tell his brother to “Shut up”, which shocks Holden as it “was the first time she ever told me to shut up. It sounded terrible.” As a result, Holden decides to take “old Phoebe” to the zoo and this is where the symbolic carrousel come into play. The symbol of the carrousel is majestic and impactful on Holden’s life. He asks Phoebe to ride the carrousel because when they were younger she “was mad about the carrousel. You couldn't get her off the goddam thing.” Phoebe insists that she is “too big” to ride the carrousel but deep down Holden knew she wanted to ride it, so he buys her a ticket. However, Phoebe wants Holden to ride it too but he declines, which shows him recognizing his status as an adult- moving on from childhood and into the stage of adulthood. Furthermore, when Phoebe tries to