Growth of the Protagonist in Catcher in the Rye

Everyone knows that as you get older you have more responsibilities, but nobody notices these responsibilities until it is time to face them. Responsibilities become difficult and more frequent as we reach adulthood. Everyone has to go through the process of becoming an adult whether they like it or not. Each personr's process of maturing is different along the way. Coming of age is a very interest part in a humans life and many books and movies use this genre as part of their plot the bildungsroman genre. The word bildungsroman is German for a story which is a genre displays the mental and/or physical growth of the protagonist throughout their life in the story, in which character development and change is extremely important. A word from a German origin, but could also be translated to coming of age story. In the book, Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger tells the story of Holden Caulfield, a teenager who has been in and out of schools since the day he started school . Holden walks through Manhattan all by himself as a way to show his independence and that he is mature, he encounters people and obstacles he has to deal with on his own. He talks to many people that he runs into along the way in the story. Holden is fairly antisocial and narcissistic.This book is considered a bildungsroman since he has become more mature since the begging of the book because of what he has endured and encountered throughout the book. In the book we see that Holdenr's isolation and feeling that he doesnt belong is the cause of most of his pain. He never addresses his own emotions directly.. He wants affections, but his bitter, narcissistic attitude prevents him from getting what he wants. His loneliness is the main source of why he doesnt get the love and affection he craves. For example, his loneliness makes him crave some type of relationship and causes him to go on a date with Sally Hayes, but his need for isolation causes him to insult her and drive her away. Another example of this is when he misses the meaningful connection he once had with Jane Gallagher, but he is too frightened to make any real effort to contact her. He depends on his loneliness and isolation even though it is slowly ruining him. The Catcher in the Rye sets an example of coming of age in Holdenr's life and the changes of children turning into an adult. Even though, Catcher in the Rye was written a long time ago many readers can connect to Holdenr's life. Because of Holdenr's isolating attitude he never comes to realize that he has grown up so quickly. Itr's a scary thought that our life passes by so quickly without our relocation. The author really shows us how our attitude and what we depend on affects the way we mature.

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