From Child to Adult in The Young Catcher in the RyeJD Salinger's The Young Catcher in the Rye is a story about growing up. Explores the obstacles we all face during the transition from childhood to adulthood. The tragedies and triumphs, the discoveries and defeats, the happiness and the pain. As you follow the book's protagonist, Holden, through his journey to adulthood, you learn about his life, but more importantly, you learn about your own. You grow to sympathize with the rebellious young man and begin to see traces of yourself in him. This book appeals to the child in all of us because we can all remember a time we would like to go back to; a time when making beds was our greatest responsibility and life was something we took for granted. Unfortunately, growing up means letting go and leaving the past behind. It means not only that things change, but the way you look at them changes. No matter how much you want to stop it, time marches on and the world continues to turn. This is no exception for Holden. Thinking back to childhood memories of school trips to the museum, he observes: "The best thing, though, about that museum was that everything always stayed where it was. Nobody moved. You could go there a hundred thousand times... .No one would be different. The only thing that would be different would be you” (121). There have been times in our lives when we wish we had a little closet of memories, all stored in little jars labeled with a time, person, or place that we hope to never forget. Sometimes, one of the happiest yet saddest parts of life is looking back at the part we've already experienced, no matter how big or small. This is something Holden learns about life and himself as he passes... middle of paper... a Erican teenager. He tests his limits and learns what he is comfortable with and what he isn't. He forms many opinions about the world. He soon learns that life is not a fairy tale full of bubble gum and candy canes. The real world is a tough place to live in, and growing up there isn't always easy. The book ends abruptly, leaving Holden's future up in the air. We can only imagine what awaits him and where his journey will take him. More importantly, though, we've come to understand and sympathize with Holden's struggles, and we're sad to feel that we've come to the point where we part ways. At the moment of departure we can only hope that he has taken the right path and that destiny takes its course. But really, isn't that all we can hope for ourselves? Work Cited Salinger, JD The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Bantam Books, 1951.