Holden Caulfield and the Nature of Childhood: A Look at the The Catcher in the Rye

In the realms of childhood and adulthood, Holden Caulfield doesn't quite know where to fit. The main character in J.D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is sixteen years old, and like many boys his age, he is immature without seeming to realize it. He whines a considerable amount throughout the book and seems to have the maturity level of a child, and at the same time shows that he knows his age and the maturity level expected of him. He criticizes those around him, such as Ackley and Stradlater, for being immature, yet doesn't seem to realize that even they are more mature than he himself. In the matter of childhood and adulthood, I think that Holden bases his views and concepts on two things: a person's age and a person's independence and freedom.

When it comes to age, the distinctions between childhood and adulthood seem clear. Phoebe is young, so she's a child; so are the boys in the museum. Mr. Antolini, the Spencers and Holden's parents are old; they're adults. But where do Ackley and Stradlater fit in? What about Sunny? And most importantly, where does Holden himself fit in? They're obviously not children, at least not in the sense of age, but they aren't quite adults, either. As is the case with many teenagers, we find Holden stuck in the uncertain gray area between childhood and adulthood.

If we take Holden's views of childhood and adult as being based solely on physical age, it presents some odd occurrences. For example, when Holden has his run-in with the prostitute, Sunny, he refers to her as "kid." Though this could have been casual choice of wording, it sounds as though Holden considers her to be younger than himself, even though it is very likely that she has had much more "life experience" than he, and seems to be more mature than Holden.