Finality

So that is it.  I just finished reading Catcher in the Rye.  In still trying to wrap my head around the conclusion of this wildly famous novel, I have to say that I really enjoyed it.  Although there were some parts that were a bit dull or slow, the overall purpose and impact of Salinger's book really struck home with me.

The ending was not really what I was expecting.  The author closes this book in a way similar to how he started; the final chapter opens with "I could probably tell you what I did after I went home, and how I got sick and all, and what school I'm supposed to go to next fall, after I get out of here, but I don't feel like it.  I really don't.  That stuff doesn't interest me too much right now" (213).  The final lines of the book, however, present a very different attitude than those that open the first and last chapters.  Instead of that lazy, careless teenage attitude, the ending has a more nostalgic and contemplative feel to it.  Salinger closes the book with "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.  It's funny.  Don't ever tell anybody anything.  If you do, you start missing everybody" (214).

These closing sentences reflect a dramatic change in heart in Holden.  Several chapters prior to the ending, Phoebe seriously questioned Holden about what he really likes, and he struggles somewhat to answer this.  However, as he reflects on these stories and the time he spent wandering around the city, he grows quite nostalgic, reminiscing about the times he spent with his friends and classmates.  I think this is when we really see the whole "coming of age" aspect of the novel.  Holden goes from being annoyed with everyone and everything and being depressed to really having some direction in his life.  Although he may not necessarily like Stradlater or Ackley, he has reached a point where he can appreciate the influence they had on his life and the memories that they have together.  Although it is not implicitly stated, we as readers can make the assumption that Holden wants to turn his life around, at least a little bit.  We can hope that when he starts his new school in the fall, he will hold himself to a higher standard and really come into his new found maturity.  I think that the tipping point of this change was when Holden had that conversation with Mr. Antolini about the size of one's mind and the quote about living humbly for a cause; although he fell asleep without really being able to think about any of it too deeply, some of the information Mr. Antolini shared definitely permeated Holden's mind, partially leading to this change.

Once he recovers from the depths of his depression and throws out his outlandish plans of hitchhiking out west, Holden becomes a new man, in a way.  As he sits back and watches Phoebe ride the carousel, he has time to really think over his life and his plans, finally deciding that it would be best for him to remain in the city and face his parents and future.  The transformation we see in the beloved narrator is what makes Catcher in the Rye the quintessential coming of age novel.  If the ending of this book does not beautifully demonstrate the change from a rebellious teenager to a more mature young adult, I am not sure what does.