The Catcher In the Rye can be described as a coming-of-age novel through many of the symbols in the book. In the novel, Holden is described as a sixteen-year-old boy with gray hair and a height of six feet two and a half. Even though Holden looks mature, he still has a childlike spirit. This means that even though Holden looks like an adult, he still hasn't matured and will experience a journey that takes him from a child's mind to an adult's mind. Another symbol that represents The Catcher In the Rye as a coming-of-age novel are the cursed words found on the walls of the school and in the museum. Holden first finds the words "Fuck you" written on the walls of Phoebe's school. Holden is appalled, thinking some random pervert probably wrote it. However, he finds it at the museum. “Another “Fuck You.” It was written with a red pencil or something…” (Salinger 204). With the words "Fuck you" written in red pencil, it is clearly shown that it was written by a child. This shows that the children in the novel also reach the stage of maturity, with their change in vocabulary. Another symbol of coming of age is the carousel which was introduced towards the end of the novel. Phoebe had ridden it, and when she asked Holden if he was going to ride it too, he refused. The carousel is known for being childish, with only children known to ride it. This shows that Holden, who had a childlike mind for most of the novel, began to move from the world of childhood to the world of adulthood. In a coming-of-age novel, the protagonists have many experiences that are helpful during development. as a person. Holden must go through the death of his younger brother...... middle of paper ...... The Catcher In the Rye is a coming-of-age novel because the protagonist [Holden] is seen going through to move from the world of childhood to the world of adulthood. At the beginning, Holden is introduced as a young, reckless teenager who gets kicked out of school for the fourth time. At the beginning of the novel, Holden is seen as a very immature boy, who doesn't really care about school. Holden begins as a child and can be considered immature, however, as the novel progresses, Holden gradually does more and more adult-like things. Holden is first seen acquiring more adult things when he visits a bar, requesting alcoholic drinks, even though he is underage. Another time Holden acquires for more adult things is when he purchases a prostitute, although he has not done anything intimate with the prostitute. These two things, even if they are only physical