Growing Pains - Symbolism for Maturity In Catcher in the Rye

Ashley Sutherland / 2024-4-30

Maturing in some way is inevitable.  As time passes, we humans grow mentally and physically, changing from our previous selves and becoming the adults we were destined to be. However, there’s something so painful about this process, saying goodbye to an innocence we should be striving to protect. The Catcher In The Rye by J.D Salinger is an excellent representation of this time in our lives. Using magnificent symbolism, such as the museum, the graffiti on the wall, and Phoebe, Salinger allows the readers to watch as Holden Caulfield experiences the transition from childhood to adulthood, and in turn, they experience it all themselves.

First and foremost, it is necessary to discuss the museum in New York City and what it symbolizes. A paragraph at the beginning of page 158 constructs a breathtaking image of nostalgia. “ You could go there a hundred times… nobody would be different.” (158) Holden is fond of the figures in the museum for standing the test of time and remaining the same. They bring back the good old days and make him feel safe. The museum represents not only a love for the familiar, but also a fear of what has changed. 

Holden speaks extensively about how every time you enter the museum, you’re a little bit different, and in the end decides not to go in. “ I wouldn't have gone in for a million bucks.” (159) He acts like it is a sudden and random decision, but truly it is his apprehension for how different his life is now compared to when he last exited the place, which in contrast, remains identical. Eventually, Holden does enter, but is tormented yet again. This time, he is distressed not only by his own loss of innocence, but others.

Near the end of the book, Holden continually runs into signs reading “fuck you”, in the both the museum and school. “ You’ll never believe what I saw on the wall. Another fuck you.” (269) The incessant appearance of these writings are a crude reminder of the painful process of maturing Holden was forced to experience. They keep popping up in the places that mean the most to him. “ You can’t ever find a place that’s nice and peaceful, because there isn't any. You may think there is…somebody’ll sneak up and write fuck you right under your nose.” (264) These writings also torment Holden with the fact that other children will see them, and in turn lose their innocence, just like he did. He even desperately tries to rub out the sign in the school. As his attempt fails, he realizes he cannot save others from his own fate. “ You couldn’t even rub out half the fuck you signs in the world. It’s impossible.” (262) Later in the book, salt is rubbed deep into this wound as he speaks to two children in the museum. He's been hanging out with them for a while and really likes them. However, on page 264, when they leave, he 

encounters yet another vulgar sign. It hits him like a knife to the chest, a brutal reminder that there is no escape.

Finally, Holden’s younger sister Phoebe is a major symbol of innocence and its eventual loss in this story. She is used to represent all that Holden has been, as well as all that he could be. He really admires her and puts her on a pedestal. “You never saw a kid so pretty and smart.” (67) He respects her, and is also jealous of her for living a life void of the trauma he endures. “Allie’s dead, you always say that!” Phoebe quips at him on page 222, showing that she has recovered and accepted this fact far quicker than him. He fears that this personality and innocent indifference will be crushed like his own, and will do anything to prevent that. For example, when he was planning to run away and she tried to join him,  it turned him off of the idea completely. He doesn't want her going down the same path as him, as he already sees himself in her far too often. He calls her a “madman” (270), like he does himself. Additionally, she is talented in English and gets worked up easily, similar to him. An example of this is on page 267 when packs a bag and brings it to the museum, caught up in the excitement of an escape. “You’re not going.” Holden snaps at her right away. He refuses to be a bad influence on Phoebe. He wants her to preserve her childhood , something that he lost long ago. 

In conclusion, The Catcher in The Rye is a transformational novel that uses intricate symbolism to represent the process of maturity alongside loss of innocence. The 

museum, the writing on the wall, and Holden’s younger sister Phoebe appear multiple times throughout the story as elaborate symbols for this overarching theme. As the final pages of the novel are turned, J.D Salinger leaves the reader crying for how things 

used to be, yet strangely sated by the knowledge that the pain of growing up is universal and inevitable. 

Works Cited

Sallinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye.