Perspectives on Catcher in the Rye
...s and analyses Holden and Cather, and it is interesting to compare the opinions of some of the different authors. In his essay "The Catcher in the Rye: Artist in Embryo", Warren French theorizes that Holden's problem involves growing up, not physically or emotionally, but instead intellectually. Holden is worried that if he continues to mature intellectually, he will eventually become just another of society's "phonies" , lost in the world of taxicabs and elevators, department stores and Broadway shows. Holden is not a rebel or troublemaker; in fact he is quite conservative, mainly because he is too "yellow" to be anything else. He shows compassion for others, and unlike most, he is well aware of his so called madness. He is also aware of the fact that he cannot run away from his problems, so he does the best next thing--he tries to prevent them from resisting change. Not only is Holden looking to save himself from growing up, but also to catch the children "falling off the cliff" into adulthood. One of his former teachers, Mr. Antonlini, tries to reach h...