4. Do you think Holden’s character changes and or matures throughout the book? Why or why not?

I do believe Holden changes and matures a lot throughout the novel. For most of the novel he is continuously calling people phonies and makes quick judgements on people he barely knows, which is immature. Holden was also very stuck in the past. For example, Holden constantly talks about Jane, a girl he once hung out with often but never actually sees her in the novel.  

Holden's character begins to mature and change towards the end of the book as he starts to realize in what direction he would like to lead his life. When he goes to visit his sister, Phoebe, she asks what he was going to do in the future. He answers, "I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all... What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them... I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be" (pg 173). Holden starts to look at his future and realizes he want to saves innocents. 

Holden's character matures and changes even more by the end of the novel. Holden begins to understand life. When Holden sits down on the bench and watches Phoebe ride a carousel he thinks, "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" (pg 211).  By the end of the book Holden realizes that he can’t save every innocent person and has to let people lead their own life and make their own decisions, that he was immature for calling people phonies and that he has to move forward with his life and stop being so stuck in the past.