/ / Madeline Salem Salem 1 12 APLC 10/14/14 ‘The Immaturity of Holden Caulfield Ifyou asked any little boy if they wanted to grow up now, they would most likely say yes. Little kids want to grow up fast because they think that they feel like they don’t fit in, Their parents get to go to work, so why can't they? Holden, in the Cather in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, is ahigh school dropout. Unlike little kids Holden likes to reminisce and stay in the past. He doesn't want to grow up. When Holden hears his friend Stradlaterymention a girl that he met, named Jane Gallagher, Holden is totally floored, because he grew up with nerf hi ates to the point that Holden is refraining from maturing becauseyhe doesn’t go vi Jane, deeply explains his past with her, and doesn’t know why she didn’t move her kings. > | \« Holden doesn’t go visit Jane, which to the reader may seem like an unordinary move. , When Stradlater first mentions Jane, Holden only focuses on asking Stradlater a bunch of questions about her, including were she is at the moment, Stradlater tells him that she is in the Annex. After hearing this Holden doesn’t go see her. Readers know this because, 5 y "Where is she? In the Annex?" "Yeah." "'How/d she happen to mention me? Does she go to BM. now? She said she might go there'...I was pretty excited. I really was." (Salinger 31) Holden was excited to hear about Jane but is unable to bring himself to go see her. People are usually more than excited to go visit someone they haven't seen a long time, Holden would rather have a conversation about Jane with Stradlater than talking to Jane himself, Holden wants to holdsalem 2 Madeline Salem 12 APLC 1/1414 ‘The Immaturity‘of Holden Caulfield on to the past. So instead of going and creating new experiences with Jane he would father talk about the experiences he has already had, This is an immature way of acting. % Holden deeply explei his past with Jane, Most people point out one cool experience they had with a person, instead of reminiscing about everything they did. Holden can't move on. from the fact that Stradlater meet Jane. Even though Stradlater isn’t interested in what Holden has to say Holden can't stop talking about her. " [don't know, for... lift up, willya? You're on my towel,’ Stradlater said. I was sitting on his stupid towel.” (Salinger 31). In fact Holden asks Stradlater a load of questions about Jane all at once, but Stradlater is only concerned out Holden sitting on his towel. Stradlater doesn’t try to answer any of Holdens questions. Holden is only talking for his own benefit and he knows it. Which relates to Holden acting immaturely. Holden makes the point while talking to Stradlater, that Jane never moved her kings when they would play checkers. Ifa little boy was playing checkers, the only thing he would be focused on would be winning. This holds true for Holden, Jane was trying to strategize, while Holden was focused on winning. "Yeah. She wouldn't move any of her kings. What she'd do, when she'd get a king, she wouldn't move it, She'd just leave it in the back row. She'd get them all lined up in the back row. The she'd never use them. She just liked the way they looked when they were all in the back row." (Salinger 32).salem 3 Madeline Salem 12 APLC 10/4/14 ‘The Immaturity of Holden Caulfield Just how Holden can't figure out why Jane doesn’t move her kings, it also holds true to the way Holden thinks about adults. Jane is acting more mature, which Holden can't grasp and the adults keep treating Holden more maturely, making him unable to connect with them as much. Holden refrains from maturing because, he doesn’t go visit Jane, deeply explains his past with her, and doesn’t know why she didn’t move her kings. Holden is faced with a blast from the past when Stradlater brings up Jane Gallagher. The way Holden reacts to the situation allows readers to characterize him. Holden acts in an immature way. This helps readers get an idea for how Holden might act in other situations.