The Catcher in the Rye Theme of Youth

The Catcher in the Rye presents a clear distinction between the world of children and that of adults. Children are genuine, caring, and kindhearted, whereas adults are "phony," self-centered, and generally "bastards." Because the story of told from the point-of-view of a disillusioned seventeen-year-old, we of course have to challenge the bias inherent in this perspective. The novel examines the grey area between these two worlds – namely adolescence – and the painful process of transitioning from one to the other.

1. What is it about children that Holden finds so much more appealing than adults?
2. Is Holden more of a kid, or more of an adult? What defines these categories in The Catcher in the Rye?
3. How is Holden like the teenagers around him – Ackley, Stradlater, Sally, etc.? Is he as different as he thinks he is?

Holden's narrative style and his unreliability makes it impossible for us to judge him as either a child or an adult.

What Holden thinks he likes about youth is just his idealized notion of what children are like. He's not in love with childhood; he's in love with a fantasy.