Holden Caufield's Immaturity

The main character of the novel The Catcher in The Rye, Holden Caufield, shows

a great deal of immaturity for his age throughout his little adventures. He is fickle and

shows childish behavior in many instances. It is hard to blame Holden for his immaturity.

Like many other people with emotional problems, something tragic happened in the past

that affected him deeply. This tragedy was the death of his beloved brother, Allie.

Holden sees himself as the protector of innocence from the adult world. Unfortunately, it

is Holden who needs help to bring himself into the real world.


Holden’s brother Allie died when Holden was still young. Most of his immature

actions are directly connected with Allie’s death. “Life stopped for Holden on July

18,1946, the day his brother died of leukemia. Holden was then thirteen, and four years

later-the time of the narrative-he is emotionally still at the same age, although he has

matured into a gangl...