Top Ten Questions English Enthusiasts Still Can't Answer

Throughout this entire novel, we have followed Holden through his wildly confusing shenanigans as he recalls them from the comfort of a resting facility. From being kicked out of Pencey Prep for failing his classes all the way to having a complete mental breakdown, it's all been one hell of a journey. After accompanying Holden on this journey and reading his thoughts along the way, I believe that Holden is a dynamic character. As this story is mostly about maturity and the inevitable pathway into adulthood, I believe Holden has shown many minor steps into reaching maturity within the last few chapters.

Although very short in length, the very last chapter of the book reveals a lot about how Holden has been affected by the past events he has described. The general tone of the chapter just seems a bit different than the rest. Even though it can be difficult assessing change in his writing with little to work with, I believe Holden's thoughts are much more organized and his paragraphs are much shorter.

Holden's cynical tone is also turned down quite a bit in the last chapter. Due to this, Holden is able to share a different opinion about his older brother D.B.--who he has previously shared negative remarks toward--saying that D.B., "isn't as bad as the rest of them, but he keeps asking me a lot of questions, too." This more fair outlook on D.B. conveys improvement in Holden's ability to ignore the bad in people--a sign of maturity as Holden isn't instantly dismissing D.B. for his actions that bother him. Another quote that supports this goes as follows, "About all I know is, I sort of miss everybody I told about. Even Old Stradlater and Ackley, for instance. I think I even miss that goddam Maurice." I believe this quote, as well as the previous one, shows an improvement in how Holden views others. It's no secret that Holden has negative feelings about nearly everyone he has met during the events of this book, but now he has finally seemed to become less harsh and value what people have done to impact his life. This also displays Holden's ability to connect with people he may not see eye-to-eye with, another sign of maturity and coming to terms with the imperfections of people and society.

Another minor detail that demonstrates Holden's still-developing maturity is how he chooses to address Mr. Antolini. Holden is known for using nicknames to refer to many characters throughout the book, some prominent ones being "Old Spencer" for Mr. Spencer and "Ackley Kid" for Ackley. However, when conversing with his former teacher, Holden has decided to only refer to him as "Mr. Anolini" or "sir." I believe this also demonstrates signs of maturity in Holden as he is giving respect to an authority figure by referring to him by a proper and formal name. Holden also tended to agree with what Mr. Antolini had to say about Holden and the situation he had gotten himself into, showing that he can respect his opinions, despite them being undesirable to Holden.

In almost complete contrast to my previous statements, one could also argue that Holden is dynamic in the sense that he has become more unstable throughout the course of the book. One example of this instability is how Holden's paragraphs become longer as the story progresses. This shows Holden's deteriorating mental state as he is hit by more and more misfortune. He becomes less able to stay on-topic and collect his thoughts in each chapter. In addition, Holden's failing mental state had reached a peak in chapter 25, after he feels that he has been molested by Mr. Antolini in his sleep. After this occurrence, Holden wandered the streets in a state of overwhelming disorientation. During this time he makes remarks such as, "Every time I came to the end of a block and stepped off the goddam curb, I had this feeling that I'd never get to the other side of the street. I thought I'd just go down, down, down, and nobody'd ever see me again. Boy, did it scare me." This quote shows signs that Holden is having or nearing a panic attack. His severe state of worry, fear, and profuse sweating all support this idea and sets a new all-time low for Holden.

Although Holden has shown signs of maturity in the last few chapters, he still seems rather confused and unable to express these new feelings to the reader during his final remarks. Holden is still clearly baffled about the events in the book, admittedly skipping details that he didn't feel like explaining and saying, "That stuff doesn't interest me too much right now." Holden is still very much disjointed here; he has a tough time expressing what he is feeling and why he is feeling it, but this doesn't detract from the fact that he has changed. After all, the most significant changes in his life came by rather quickly, I don't expect him to instantly understand everything clearly.

Holden's alterations may not be the most dramatic, but hey are most certainly present and steps in the right direction for someone as extreme as him. Although he made many mistakes along the way, Holden has established a sense of independence and self-reliance after living on his own throughout most of the book. He has also shown a better ability to assimilate in society, shedding a bit of his cynical and pessimistic outlook on people and revealing his ability to connect with those who have impacted him. Holden's changes are in no way a breakthrough for him. Some are clear digressions and he still has a lot to figure out. Although he didn't end up being a completely different character, he has exhibited streaks of variance that suggest that more could come in the future.