Never Lasting
(Final Draft of Essay on Symbolism in The Catcher in the Rye)
In the game of life,people go to museums in order not only to see the forever preserved,dead
mummies and to look at sculptures but also and other artifacts.In J.D. Salinger's novel The
Catcher in the Rye, Holden mentions The Museum of Natural History several times. And what
does the museum actually symbolize? Holden knew that place like a book. "I knew that whole
museum routine like a book"(108). All great memories are about his childhood. Eventuallly now
he is living like an adult and he does notlike it. But Holden can not return the time back,
although this is his dream. The Museum of Natural History represents Holden's wishes because
the things there do not grow up, do not die and do not have rules that should be followed.
The museums represents Holden's wish to stop growth. The cause in the life of Holden is to
save pure and innocent life and he does everything possible to achieve it. His sister is his only
chance left to make his life better. She is the most important person in his life and when she is
happy he is smiling too. Holden confesses to us,"That's the whole trouble. You can't even find a
place that's nice and peaceful, because there isn't any. You may think there is, but once you get
there, when you're not looking, somebody'll sneak up and right 'Fuck you' right under your
nose"(183). In the life of adults there are so many rules and so many rude things that Holden
does not want to accept. He wants to help his sister to live in her childhood as much as she can.
Because of the reason that Holden does not want her to think about sex. In his opinion, sex is
something dirty and incomprehensible. As sex is the life of adults-complicated and without
anything happy or even funny. Holden has the opinion that children should stop growing. For
him growth makes you worse and more melancholic. In The Museum of Natural History
everything stays the same all the time and therefore he likes them.
The museum represents Holden's wish that things and people should not die. Holden
complains throughout the whole story about the death of his younger, innocent brother-Allie.
Holden is very depressed every time when he remembers ab his brother because he missed the
last chance that he had to make his brother happy before his death. Holden shares with us "So I
did, and sure enough, he was sitting on his bike outside the fence-there was this fence that went
all around the course-and he was sitting there, about a hundred and fifty yards behind me,
watching me tee off...God, he was a nice kid, though."(34). In other worrds, Holden does not
think that death is fair at all. This is one of the many things he does not want to accept. In the
museum there are only objects or skeletons and that is why he likes them. Holden would give
every single skeleton or glass case in order to make Allie again alive. This is another reason that
makes the museum a symbol. Holden could not forgive himself for the missed chance to make
his brother happy.Holden had experienced such a pain when he broke the windows after the
absurd death of Allie that even now, two years later,in rainy and cold weather his hand hurts.
That pain symbolizes the broken heart of Holden and his indescriable love to Allie which he can
not give to anyone else. Broken heart, broken dreams, and lost hopes of anything beautiful are all
things that Holden has. In museums Holden finds calmness because the objects do not die and do
not break dreams apart like real life does.
The museums represents the wish of Holden to rebel against the rules of life. In all his
thoughts and actions the main character of the book tries to explain to us how unfair the rules of
life of adults are. One of the most important things which Holden wants to save are the rights of
women. He whispered in his mind: "When I really worry about something, I don't just fool
around...If you knew Stradlater, you'd have been worried, too. I'd double-dated with that bastard
a couple of times, and I know what I'm talking about. He was unscrupolous. He really was"(35).
Holden tries to convince us that Stradlater wants to exercise control under Jane. That tells us that
life is more violent than Holden wants it. Holden wishes for the same attitudes and laws for both
women and men and he wants to save women for that to be defiled. The museum connect to the
women because the obejects in this museum are as esteemed to Holden as women in his life.
Holden loves them both and want to protects them from misfortunes. Many thiefs try to take the
things from the museum such as many men like Stradlater try to take the innocence and virginity
of women. For Holden this is not right and he tries to save both of these things in his life-his
chilhood's memories and his girlfriend. That are the reasons because the museums symbolize the
only faith in the life of Holden that he can achieve something. The only hope of the teenager is to
try to make the world a better place.
The Museum of Natural History symbolizes the important things in Holden's life. It tells
us that Holden does not like growing. diying and rules. The permanent things in the museum
represent the cause of a teenager who tries to live how he wants and to make the life of people
better although all his problems.