The Catcher in the Rye Blog Post 5

"The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move...Nobody'd be different. The only thing that would be different would be you. (Salinger 121)"

This passage says that the thing he liked most about the museum was the way nothing changed. He could go back a million times and nothing would have moved, all the displays would be the same. The only thing that would change was himself.

I think that when Holden remembers seeing those still displays that captured significant times in our history, he remembered significant times in his life. He wished he could freeze those moments and memories. I think he got that bitter-sweet feeling. He felt sad because he missed the times when life was easier and he never thought of what others thought of him. He was also happy because he loved those times and remembering those times gave him a warm feeling. I think Holden felt a sense of nostalgia. He was longing for the past when thinking of how great those times were.

This is another example of Holden wrestling with childhood vs. adulthood. We can plainly see that Holden wishes to grow up but some part of him misses his childhood. The innocence and freeness of it. "He was just singing for the hell of it, you could tell... It made me feel better. (Salinger 115)" This is when Holden watches the little boy sing on the streets and another quote that shows he misses the carelessness of being a child. They don't care what others think and are oblivious to this anyways. They do what they want not taking in consideration what others would do. I think in some way Holden is trying to mimic this in his own life. He wants to live his life the way he wants. He doesn't want to participate in the "game of life". He wants to pick his own destiny and live accordingly. I hope that Holden will be able to do this and be happy.