Marissa Crespo

Ms. Anderson
Response to Clements & NY Times Article
September 17, 2016
If Holden Caulfield had grown up in the 2010s when liminal phases are considered
normal and conducive to outsiders instead of the 1950s, I feel as if Caulfield would not have
been such an unreliable narrator/unstable person. Society

n
eeds outsiders. If Caulfield were
aware of this, he may have felt like less of a reject. Part of his apprehension and radicalness
must have come from the awareness that he was

expected to successfully transition into

adulthood; therefore, if Caulfield had the opportunity to be in a contemporary communita of
sorts to express criticism and dread of entering the adulthood, he may have been able to be a
successful adult and put all of his wild adolescence behind him. Caulfield had no outlet to
express his contemptuous feelings about growing up because back then, everyone was just
expected to. Being in a community of people who share these emotions would have made
Caulfield aware that he was not alone, and that he had a support system to prepare him for
joining grown-up society. Sometimes people need to criticize the foundation of society in a
liminal period before re-entering it. This period of learning/exploration not only allows people
to find themselves, but find their places in society.
In addition to communitas, the knowledge of late bloomers into adulthood in the NY
Times would have made Caulfield more confident because he would know that he could actually
delay adult transition without feeling like he was wasting his life away/disappointing anyone.
Choosing to prolong adolescence is scientifically proven to be productive and result in cognitive
long terms benefits which would only enhance life as an adult. In the meantime, he could be
present in the present, quit calling everyone phonies, and find something to do with himself. If
Caulfield was committed to immersing himself in new and exciting encounters during his

prolonged adolescence, his brain could actually be more malleable for a longer amount of time
and thus give him the opportunity to learn and slowly evolve into a mature adult through
experience (which seems like the best route for a teen like Caulfield).
Now that I have read more about liminality and the benefits of not growing up too
quickly, I believe our generation is much more open to delaying adulthood. Its not frowned
upon, rather, its accepted and even becoming encouraged in certain circumstances for
particular people. If Caulfield were lucky enough to grow up in todays society, his feelings could
be vocalized without judgement and he could actually hold off on growing up without judgement
(and be his own catcher in the rye).