In the second half of this book, we are shown Holden at his worst during his endless quest towards finding himself. He not only becomes mentally sick, but physically sick also, as he turns up time and time again lonely and lost inside. Many important events show growing character change in Holden throughout his struggles. When taking a look at these, I was able to understand more about the Holden that he so carefully tried to hide.
Throughout the whole story, Holden mentioned the character of Jane almost constantly. He always talked fondly of her and considered calling her numerous times. When it actually came down to talking to her though, Holden would always find some excuse or reason why the time was not right. Because of this, Jane as a person never materialized, leaving the reader to question why she was important to the story at all. By the end of the story, I realized that Jane was HoldenÕs happiness during his depression. Whenever he was feeling down or upset about life, a warm remembrance of happy times with Jane always enveloped his mind. This leads me to believe that Jane was the symbol of hope that Holden used to let himself know that things would get better and hopefully happier. She was the shining star that he based his journey upon finding. Perhaps he never talked to her for fear that she would say or do something phony in his eyes Š perhaps, she was perfect then and he didnÕt want that to change.
Near the end of the story, Holden presented the reader with what his plans were for the rest of his life. This included him living in a cabin near the woods where he would pretend to be a deaf-mute. He chose there so people wouldnÕt know him and he wouldnÕt know them. My first thought was, why would he want to seclude himself from the world? Discussing this point helped me come up with a few theories. First of all, it is quite obvious that Holden was against society as a whole, but maybe this was because he felt like he was not worth society. Afterall, he constantly felt alone and probably had lived much of his life without the attention or affection he required. Since all his life he had lived Ōalone,Õ maybe he felt like that was the only way he could live, and wanted to prove that he could make it without the help of the society he so despised.
Also dealing with his future, Holden told Phoebe what heÕd really like to be when older. He described having to catch children playing in a field of rye that were about to go over a cliff. He remarked, "ThatÕs all IÕd do all day. IÕd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know itÕs crazy, but thatÕs the only thing Id really like to be." This is the major reference Holden gives to the title of the story, and though I donÕt quite understand its meaning, one thought does come to mind. How can Holden think of saving other children when he hasnÕt even saved himself? Maybe he realized what had happened to him and he wanted to save other children before it happened to them. Could it be that all his life Holden played in a field of rye, and now he was left facing the cliff, in dire need of help? Maybe there was no one there to catch him from falling, and he realized that perhaps the most important step he could take was to be the catcher in the rye himself. By the end, it seems Holden has taken a deep look at his life and the events he had just experienced. The last words he gives us are, "DonÕt ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody." This to me shows that by Holden letting out his inner experiences and feelings he realizes how he was isolating himself from the world. After learning this, looking back at his past acquaintances, he sees the good things about them that he so carelessly tossed aside for favor of the bad. He is left missing them and maybe even wishing he could see them again.
Either way, hopefully Holden is on his way to recovery, and I wish him the best of luck with the rest of his journey. May he watch over those fields of rye and catch other lost souls before they, too, fall into a world of confusion and loneliness.