Self selected response: Catcher in the Rye

I would like to reflect on J.D. Salinger's critically acclaimed novel, Catcher in the Rye. The story was brought under the microscope after John Lenin's murderer opened the novel and started reading it waiting for the police to arrest him. The story is a coming of age novel which tells the story of a young Holden Caulfield, who is petrified at the thought of leaving behind a childhood he never knew. Now, Holden has to transition to yet another unknown, adulthood. The thought of an unfulfilled childhood leads to apprehension for Holden's outlook of himself as an adult. However, Holden comes to terms with the transition after seeing Phoebe ride around the merry-go-round in Central Park. It is at this point that Holden looks at life as a circle, with a beginning, middle, and end. The transition to adulthood is now looked at as a natural part of the life cycle. Just as babies become children, and children become teens; so do teens into adults. The reason I can relate to the novel is because I am in the process of becoming independent, and Salinger covers all points in order to come of age.