The transition between childhood and adulthood in the catcher in the Rye by Jerome David Salinger

Abstract

The Catcher in the Rye is the poignant and humorous narrative of the adventure of a boy torn between childhood and adulthood. The autodiegetic narrator idealizes childhood as a symbol of authenticity, innocence, purity, sincerity, honesty, in sum, all the positive attributes diametrically opposed to the vices that corrupt the world of adults, including materialism, artificiality, moral degradation, hypocrisy, selfishness, lies, duplicity, violence, etc. Hence his fear to grow, that is, to be in captivity, therefore to lose his innocence. However, the protagonist finally understands that maturating is a naturel process inherent in the human condition.