The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger tells the story of a sixteen-year old American teenager, Holden Caulfied.

Set predominantly in the thriving metropolis of e! "or#, Holden is overcome by isolation and loneliness$ % e! "or#&s terrible !hen somebody laughs on the street very late at night. "ou can hear it for miles. 't ma#es you feel so depressed.( )his blatant contradiction !ith reality is perhaps the first clue that our protagonist is going through some sort of mental brea#do!n. )he novel follo!s Holden&s exploits over a t!o-day period, revealing a character very much in conflict himself, the adult !orld, and his desire to resist change in a !orld !here it is a fact of everyday life. *arly in the novel it becomes apparent that our protagonist is in conflict !ith not only himself but also the adult !orld around him. )errified by the though of gro!ing up, Holden is addicted to stasis and disturbed by any notion of change. +bsessed by phoneys , !hom he vie!s as polluting , he is afraid of becoming one. Holden has a strong admiration for those !ho shun phoniness. 'n particular, he applauds James Castle, a former school friend, !ho %-umped out the !indo!( instead of %ta#ing bac# something he said about this very conceited boy, .hil, Stabile.( /y choosing to commit suicide, Castle re-ected phoniness. 'f many !ould argue that the adult !orld in America is driven by success and !ealth, and thus creating a huge gap bet!een rich and poor, Holden !ould agree$ %0oddam money( he says, %'t al!ays ends up ma#ing you blue as hell.( 1oney aggravates him, as he believes it leads to phoniness , trying to ma#e people thin# you are richer. )his vie! is some!hat fla!ed, ho!ever, as Holden himself !as %pretty loaded( and his father made % a lot of dough( as a la!yer. Holden&s vie!s about money are made clear on a number of occasions. 'n the case of Dic# Seagle&s suitcase, Holden reveals that he %can even get to hate someone, -ust loo#ing at them, if they have cheap suitcases !ith them(. 2eeling he needed to sho! Holden&s more expensive cases as his o!n, Seagle #ept them under his bed. )his %depressed the holy hell out of( Holden, as in trying to impress people, Seagle !as lying and becoming phoney, all because of money. Holden could be seen as a hypocrite, though, as he himself is prone to phoney thoughts. He admits, for example, to being %the most terrific liar you ever sa! in your life(. )he inevitability of a change, a fact of everyday life, is an idea !ith !hich our .eter-.an style hero is in deep conflict. 3nli#e many his age, Holden is not enticed by thoughts of adulthood, and instead sees gro!ing up as a fall from the beautiful innocence that is childhood into the harsh and corrupt !orld of adulthood. )o!ards the end of the novel, it becomes clear that claims of corruption in adulthood are not unfounded. 4hen Holden !a#es up to find 1r Antolini, a trusted friend and former teacher stro#ing him on the head, Holden remar#s that he may be %!rong about thin#ing he !as ma#ing a flitty pass( at him, but the revelation that %something perverty li#e that( has happened to him %about t!enty times since 5he6 !as a #id( gives us an insight into his past and allo!s the reader to understand !hy he !ants to protect other children. 3nfortunately, as a result of this incident, Holden is unable to fully comprehend 1r Antolini&s advice for men li#e Holden %!ho, at some time or other in their lives, !ere loo#ing for something their environment couldn&t supply them !ith(. 'n Holden&s case !hat he is loo#ing for is permanent stasis, !hich, unfortunately, is unfeasible.

A fundamental part of the transformation from adolescence to adulthood is the acceptance of sex and sexual change. 'n Holden&s eyes, sex, and interest in it, is the end of childhood innocence. Although boasting of %nec#ing( exploits to friends, he admits to the reader that %sex is -ust something ' don&t understand. ' s!ear to god ' don&t.( Holden naturally becomes concerned !hen his childhood friend Jane 0allagher goes out !ith a schoolmate named Stradlater %in that damn *d /an#sy&s car(, admitting that it %almost drove 5him6 cra7y(. He cannot stand the idea of her being associated !ith sex, as he treasures memories of her as a child playing chec#ers !ith him$ %She !ouldn&t move any of her #ings. 4hat she&d do !hen she got a #ing, she !ouldn&t move it. She&d -ust #eep it in the bac# ro!.( Holden !as deeply struc# by this, and the reader too is moved by this innocent childhood triviality, completely free from corruption. )he theme of corruption is illustrated poignantly by Sunny, the child prostitute, !hose life, !e can be sure, is dar#er than her name !ould suggest. Again sho!ing hypocritical tendencies, Holden as# for a girl to be sent to his room. Appalled by Sunny&s age and the mechanical !ay she goes about her -ob, Holden reveals that he !as feeling %sexy !as about the last thing 5he6 !as feeling(, and retains his virginity. )his ma#es Holden even more resolved to become the catcher in the rye of his dream, and try to stop other children from becoming involved in such activities. )his, too, is !hy he is so appalled by the obscenities on the !alls of .hoebe&s school, and tries in vain to rub it off, not !anting the minds of children being tainted !ith images and ideas of sex, and !ondering %!hat the hell it meant(. /y the end of the novel, it could be said that Holden&s conflicts are resolved, and perhaps than#s to his sister. At the carousel , a comforting reminder of his childhood, !ith %the nutty music they al!ays play( , Holden offers to pay for .hoebe to ride it. 4hen she replies that she is %too big( ho!ever, she terrifies Holden. He no! has to accept that his darling little sister !ill not be young forever. )his is the turning point for Holden&s character. A ne! phase of his life is beginning, symbolised by the seemingly inconse8uential act of .hoebe reaching for a gold ring. Despite admitting that %5he6 !as sort of afraid she&d fall off the goddam horse(, Holden did not interfere$ ' didn&t say anything or do anything.( o! Holden has finally accepted that he cannot be the catcher in the rye. 4hen he refers to not interfering !ith the children grabbing the ring, he is symbolically referring to the children 'n the rye, !ho are in danger of falling off the cliff, or %falling( into adulthood. 2inally he ac#no!ledges that becoming an adult is natural$ %"ou have to let them do it, and not say anything. 'f they fall off, they fall off, but it&s bad if you say anything to them.( )hroughout the novel Catcher in the Rye, the protagonist Holden Caulfield&s various conflicts !ith the adult !orld and his o!n troubles are vividly portrayed. Despite being hard to grasp at times, Holden&s thoughts are moving and his arguments convincing, than#s to the connection made to the reader through the first person narrative. At the very end, having come so far, it appears that Holden is ma#ing a recovery. )rue to form, though, he does not go into detail, and instead chooses to offer the reader some advice$ %Don&t ever tell anybody anything. 'f you do, you start missing everybody.(