Chapters 16-18

“Certain things they should stay the way they are.” p.122 What does it say? It would seem that Holden doesn‘t want people or life to change. What does it mean? Part of him wants to remain a child in order to be safe and happy. Holden misses his brother who he describes as being perfect and he wants to keep his sister safe when she tries to come with him because he sees her as being unspoiled by the outside world. If things stay the way they are then his brother wouldn’t have become ill and died and his sister would never lose her innocence. What does it matter? Where is Holden going and what is he doing with his life? I think this is the question all people ask themselves throughout their lives starting when they’re teenagers. Holden’s language is often juvenile even though he thinks he’s ready to take on the world. He thinks about getting married and living an idyllic life in the wilderness and proposes this to Sally who rejects the idea as fantastic. She wants to wait until they finish college, but he thinks waiting will ruin their chances and everything will change. Holden seems to view the world as a place full of phonies and idiots. He calls himself a madman because he goes back and forth from acting like a child to trying to be an adult. In the end, Holden is getting help, but he still remains cynical about the future. He thinks he’ll do alright, but how do you know if you will do something until you do it? According to Holden, you don’t.