How Does Holden Grow Up In Catcher In The Rye

Society is simple. One does not get to choose when he/she grows up. Society tells him/her when to grow up. Society reveals to its children, when the proper time is to grow up. Usually, it is too soon before a child is ready. Although the ideal family has two working parents, a lot of families in America are what’s called single parent homes. If one parent is in charge of one or two or three children, what are they supposed to do when they go to work? The child is then forced to grow up before he/she is ready. In Rebecca Sweat’s article “Whatever happened to childhood” she talks about how childhood is going away and children are forced to grow up way too fast. She writes

“According to a 2003 report by Child Trends, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., 15 percent of 6- to

Holden walks this tight rope throughout the novel of whether he should grow up and act mature, much like society wants him to or if he should go against force of society and hold on to his innocence. At one point in the novel, Holden tries to get rid of his innocence at a bar when he tries to act mature and order a drink containing alcohol, this is not a very innocent act after he gets denied because he doesn’t look over 21 he gets aggravated and really tries to sell himself as an adult. In the novel Holden states… “I gave him this very cold stare, like he’d insulted the hell out of me and asked him “Do I look like I'm under twenty-one?” (Salinger 69)

Holden feels the need to get rid of his innocence because of societies influence. Society glamourizes the idea of drinking and makes it look appealing, Holden picks up on this. Holden is clearly trying to drop his innocence because he thinks it will make him look more appealing. However, we do see Holden walk the tightrope as later in the novel he realizes it was a mistake to let go of his innocence, he