ff." The base of validation of the theme is, "When I was coming out of the can, right before I got to the door, I sort of passed out. I was lucky, though. I mean I could've killed myself when I hit the floor, but all I did was sort of land on my side, It was a funny thing, though. I felt better after I passed out. I really did" (204). This was Holden's fall over the cliff. He is obviously unable to catch himself and has now crossed over into the adult world. Further substantiation of Holden's fall follows when he encounters Phoebe after leaving the bathroom. Phoebe requests permission to travel west with him. With that, Holden grabs Phoebe hard and tells her to shut up. In reply, Phoebe tells Holden to shut up. An enraged Phoebe then runs across the street, leaving Holden alone on the other side (206-208). The street embodies the separation that has now formed between the child, Phoebe, and the young adult, Holden. The last verifier of the theme is, "All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she'd fall off the goddam horse, but I didn't say anything or do anything. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them" (211). This is where Holden can be seen speaking from a new perspective. He has become an adult and now understands that kids must be allowed to have certain experiences in order to learn. When Holden chooses not to prevent Phoebe from reaching for the gold ring he has, in effect, relinquished his desire to be a catcher in the rye. For this reason, Holden's coming to terms with his inability to save all the kids, or even Phoebe, is the theme supported by this classic.Character is the major component of The Catcher In The Rye. In this case the critics possess different viewpoints of Holden Caulfield. First, Th...
