Symbolism In 'Catcher In The Rye'

How do Mr. Antolini’s words apply to the novel? “The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.”

Mr. Antolini’s words apply to the novel because it addresses one of the central points of both the novel and the central character parts of Holden. These words show the flaw in a lot of Holden’s thinking even if his intentions are good. He sees himself as having the responsibility of saving others from losing their innocence even as he struggles with the transition from being an innocent child into the life of an adult. He tries to give himself up for this cause of saving children but he shows that he is not mature enough be able to make a meaningful impact in this perceived problem. It is clearly shown that Holden believes that there is a problem in society. He believes that children need to keep their innocence. He feels that loss of innocence negatively impacts people and feels that he has to save them. We can first see his personal issues about the lack of innocence when he discovers that Stradlater and Jane Gallagher had sex casually with no intention

The attraction to these women is troubling to Holden because he is convinced that non-serious sex is wrong and he is disturbed with himself for being attracted to the women in the Lavender room and when he arranges a date with Sally. Through the book he is troubled because he repeatedly comments on the “stupidity” of Sally and the lack of attractiveness of other women. He also believes that he has to help children hold on to their innocence. He describes himself as the catcher in the rye who has to catch children from falling off of a hypothetical cliff that symbolizes the loss of innocence. He attempts to save the children and keep them in their innocence but he is never able to save all of them or even