I just read The Catcher in the Rye

[RosebyAnyName]

I'm not going to talk about the entire book. The point I want to talk about right now is the theme of "falling."

At the end of the book, Holden makes this observation:

"The thing with kids is, if they want to grab the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them."

This isn't the only example of this theme being brought up, we also have "where do the ducks go in the winter? (they dissappear / we don't know)" and Holden talking about "feeling like he's falling" when stepping off the curb of the sidewalk when he's at his lowest. Of course, let's also not forget the most poignant metaphor: catching the kids from falling off a cliff in the rye field.

My interpretation of these themes is that there comes a point once you transition from childhood to adulthood where you either live normally, or you "fall," with "falling" obviously being a metaphor for failing to launch. When you get pushed out of the nest, you either fly or fall, and that's it. If you fall, then for the most part that means you missed your chance at a bearable adulthood.

The end of the book is ambiguous, but to me it's obvious that Holden is part of "the fallen" because he is so disconnected from himself and his emotions that he likely won't ever fully heal from his traumas:

"I mean how do you know what you're going to do till you do it? The answer is, you don't. I think I am, but how do I know?"

"I don't know what I think about [the days after I got expelled]."

And I see myself going down this exact route of no longer knowing who I am. I've had to get therapy my whole life and still pursue more therapy to seemingly no avail (like Holden). I also have traumas that are completely unaddressed by others and that I can't move on from. How am I supposed to not be "fallen"? I'm already an adult, but there's just some things where I feel I've missed my mark and now that I've "fallen" I can't un-fall. This is it, I missed my chances and now I'll never get to have an adulthood worth holding onto. I've tried to heal from things and failed over and over, seemingly to no avail. I have also "fallen," and there's no getting back up.

(no, I have no interest in murdering anyone after reading this book, despite the suspiciously high number of people who did)

 

[Redacted24]

This is a really interesting take on the book - thanks for sharing this!

The idea of falling and failing to achieve adulthood has merit.

I think that adulthood, in the truest sense, isn't a function of physical age; I've met plenty of pre- teens who are more adult than their parents, and probably more physical adults who are still adolescents. Some of the latter don't hit adulthood until later in life. Why? I don't have any idea.

My other spiritual life advisor Sia wrote,
"Birds don't just fly they fall down and get up
Nobody learns without getting it wrong"

I hope to learn someday personally!
Keep getting back up.