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Cayla Gador

ENG 112

Professor Pettay

10 May 2022

The Catcher in the Rye: Finding Comfort in Change

There is always a moment between childhood and adulthood where a person does not

only feel excitement, but feels fear, apprehension, and a reluctance to take the big leap. Holden

Caulfield expertly represents these exact feelings in the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.

Salinger. Holden feels conflicting emotions about growing up through his experiences trapezing

around wintery 1950s New York, and for Holden, his experiences trapezing around the

consequences of his actions. Despite Holden’s desire to maintain his childhood innocence and

freedom, Holden struggles with also being eager to attempt to “fit into” the adult world by faking

his age and flirting with old women at pubs. While running around New York in order to avoid

telling his parents he is kicked out of his private school, Holden is forced to face the exact

thought he is trying desperately to run from: Change. In The Catcher in the Rye, author J.D.

Salinger illustrates the importance of being open to change and how that mindset contributes

against the hardships of growing up.

While the main character struggles against experiences of growing up, J.D. Salinger

displays how clinging to past actions and emotions results in a reluctance to accept reality. This

is seen multiple times throughout the novel through Holden’s thought processes. Namely, Holden

tends to cling to people he felt attachments to in the past, such as his dead brother Allie. Holden

describes his feelings about his brother’s death and how he “broke all the goddamn windows
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with my fist..” (39) which illustrates the deep attachment he has with his late brother. This

attachment also takes hold with Allie’s old baseball mitt, along with his hunting hat, being

Holden’s prized possessions. Holden is greatly traumatized by the death of his brother and it

leads him to resent those around him and cling to the memory of Allie instead. Even though Allie

is a symbol for death throughout the novel, he is a symbol of hope for Holden, even talking out

loud to Allie when in distress. Holden calling out to his brother, “Allie, don’t let me disappear.

Please, Allie,” (198). This represents Holden’s hopelessness about change becoming too

overwhelming for him to handle. This shows how Holden clings to the past, memories of his

brother, in order to avoid the problems he is facing. The reader consistently sees Holden avoid

speaking about the current reality he faces, being kicked out of Pencey Preparatory School, but

sees him adamantly ramble about symbols from his past such as his old friend Jane and movies

with Phoebe. The avoidance of reality eventually spirals while Holden is out with Sally Hayes, a

girl he dates in the past. He becomes agitated while talking about adulthood and offers to run

away with her. Holden says, “‘We’ll stay in these cabin camps and stuff like that till the dough

runs out. Then, when the dough runs out, I could get a job somewhere with a brook and all and,

later on, we could get married or something,’” (132). Holden has these extreme-like solutions

throughout the novel as he feels as though he doesn’t have any other option left. He believes that

if he has to have a plan for the future, it cannot possibly have anything to do with what he is

currently dealing with. This is also seen in how Holden only sees those from the past as secure

figures in his life. He claims Mr. Antolini is “about the best teacher I ever had,” (174) and even

relates him to another secure figure in his life, his older brother D.B. Holden greatly admires Mr.

Antolini since he was the only teacher who checked on James Castle’s body after he jumped

from a window. This symbolizes how Holden sees himself as James Castle in a way, helplessly
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falling. Holden constantly focusing on the past, rather than the present, illustrates his struggle to

accept the problems he currently faces. A person who cannot let go of past trauma can see

themselves falling into unhealthy habits such as avoiding reality.

J.D. Salinger shows that being open to change can positively affect one’s mentality and

behaviors. Because change is inevitable, it is extremely important to be willing to accept change

as it comes. Holden is extremely reluctant to the idea of change. This is seen as Holden finds

comfort in how the Museum of Natural History is unchanging and comments that “certain things

they should stay the way they are,” (122). Holden believes that the adult world is unpredictable,

which frustrates him greatly. However, as the novel progresses, his mindset changes. At the end

of the novel when Holden is with his younger sister on a carousel, he even gives her Allie’s hat

to wear (207). This symbolizes Holden beginning to let go of his past since he had such a deep

attachment to Allie’s belongings. This simple interaction demonstrates how a person becoming

more open to change and letting go can positively affect relationships in their life. Another

instance of this occurring is when Holden is visiting Phoebe’s school and he sees explicatives

written on the wall. He is, at first, reluctant to do anything about it as he was afraid of what an

administrator might think if they saw him. However, he eventually noted that he “rubbed it out

anyway, finally.” (201). Holden having that moment of self awareness is a definite change in his

mentality as Holden usually acts in a self-preserving manner without thinking of the potential

consequences. Later, Holden even feels hopelessness about the explicatives on the walls, and that

it would be impossible to erase them all (202). This demonstrates that Holden is now capable of

feeling the helplessness, however instead of letting it consume him, he continues to act.

Continuing to act, despite feeling hopeless, is a sign of growth and openness to change. This is

supported in the article, “Mindset for Change, Motivational Persistence and Self-Efficacy in
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Personal Goal Achievement” by Andreea Chirila. In the article, Chirila argues that “in previous

research, there are several mindset stage models, which point out the fact that change is a

progressive and gradual process,” (Chirila 18). This provides evidence that acceptance to change,

while it can be difficult, is beneficial for one’s state of mind. Because no one is capable of

stopping change, it is essential to embrace change rather than fear it as it could also help a person

mentally in the future.

As the novel progresses, the author conveys the importance of adaptation through any

environment and how the acceptance of change will lead a person forward. This is displayed

throughout the book with the motif of the ducks in the lagoon. Holden asks the taxi driver, “‘Do

you happen to know where they go in the wintertime, by any chance?’”(81). In the novel, Holden

questions the welfare of the ducks and how they survive when the lake freezes over. This

illustrates Holden’s concern with adaptation during harsh environments as Holden sees himself

as the ducks, stuck in a helpless situation and wondering what to do now. This is symbolistic

since ducks migrate in the winter, meaning they move on from the harsh environments, which

Holden realizes that it is what he needs to do. The ducks in the lagoon example emphasizes the

importance of doing what is best for a person no matter the harsh realities they face. This is also

conveyed with Mr. Antolini’s speech to Holden. He says, “‘Or they thought their own

environment couldn’t supply them with. So they gave up looking.’” (187). In a way, this called

out Holden. Mr. Antolini shows the consequences of those who refuse to adapt to their

environment. That those who “give up looking” end up not successful and never moving

forward. Those who see the environment around them as not beneficial and immediately dismiss

the environment altogether, never end up becoming better. This is also supported by the article,

“Promoting a growth mindset decreases behavior self‑handicapping among students who are on
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the fixed side of the mindset continuum,” by Lilla Torok. The author argues that “this result is

also in line with previous works, showing that participants with more of a fixed mindset at

baseline gained the most from learning an incremental theory in terms of their depressive

symptoms, or grades,” (Torok 6). This means that evidence was found that promoting a growth

mindset, rather than a fixed one, can potentially alleviate depressive symptoms and help a person

be successful. Learning how to adapt in any environment, whether the circumstances be bad or

good, is an essential skill needed as a part of growing up. Holden struggles with understanding

this as he attempts to cling to the fixedness of childhood. He comes to a moment of realization

when he realizes that when it comes to childhood, “If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if

you say anything to them,” (211). This is the moment that Holden realizes that he cannot cling to

his childhood as he must actually take action in order to move forward. This symbolizes Holden

realizing that there isn’t a point to try and shelter the idea of innocence and that he must try and

put himself out there. This displays that Holden grew throughout the book by realizing the

importance of adaptation.

Being open to change is the only way to move forward into adulthood. J.D. Salinger

expertly conveys this through the experiences of his character, Holden, as he realizes this himself

throughout the novel. As the reader knows every single one of Holden’s thoughts as he struggles

to solve his problems, J.D. Salinger sheds light on the issue of fixed mindedness and the need to

adapt. Even though troubles that come with adulthood can make one freeze and terrified, like

Holden, a person must realize that troubles will come and it is up to the person to decide to move

forward to take the leap.

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Works Cited

Chirila, Andreea. "Mindset for Change, Motivational Persistence and Self-Efficacy in Personal

Goal Achievement." Annals of the Al. I. Cuza University, Psychology Series, vol. 25, no.

1, 2016, pp. 17-35. EBSCOhost,

web-p-ebscohost-com.eztcc.vccs.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=11&sid=3a343232-254b-4b

5e-9318-c6ba4eb1c5a0%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=1

19122585&db=a9h. Accessed 13 May 2022.

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Edited by E. Michael Mitchell and Lotte Jacobi, Boston,

Little, Brown, and Company, 1951.

Torok, Lilla. "Promoting a Growth Mindset Decreases Behavioral Self-handicapping among

Students who are on the Fixed Side of the Mindset Continuum." Scientific Reports, vol.

12, no. 1, 6 May 2022, pp. 1-8. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-11547-4.

Accessed 13 May 2022.