The Catcher In the Rye can be described as a Bildungsroman through many symbols in the book. In the novel, Holden is described as a sixteen-year-old boy with gray hair and is six and a half feet tall. Even though Holden seems mature, he still has the mind of a child. This means that even though Holden seems like an adult, he has not yet matured and will go on a journey that will change his mind from the mind of a child to that of an adult. Another symbol that represents The Catcher In the Rye as a coming-of-age novel are the swear 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 shocked, thinking that some random pervert probably wrote it. However, he finds it again in the museum. “Another “Fuck you”. It was written in red crayon or something…” (Salinger 204). With the words "Fuck you" written in red crayon, you can clearly see that a child wrote it. This shows that the boys in the novel are also reaching the stage of maturity, with their change in vocabulary. Another symbol of coming of age is the carousel that was introduced towards the end of the novel. Phoebe had boarded it, and when she asked Holden if he would ride it too, he refused. The carousel is known as childish, and only children can ride it. This shows that Holden, who had a child's mind for much of the novel, has begun the transition from the world of childhood to that of adulthood. In a Bildungsroman, the protagonists go through many experiences that are helpful during development. as a person. Holden must deal with the death of his younger brother... middle of paper... The Young Catcher in the Rye is a Bildungsroman because the protagonist [Holden] is seen in transition from the world of childhood to the world of adulthood . At the beginning, Holden is presented as a reckless young teenager who is expelled from school for the fourth time. At the beginning of the novel, Holden is seen as a very immature boy, who doesn't care much about school. Holden starts out as a child and can be seen as immature, however, as the novel progresses, Holden gradually does more and more adult-like things. Holden is first seen purchasing more adult-like things when he visits a bar, asking for alcoholic drinks, even though he is underage. Another time Holden shops for more adult things is when he buys a prostitute, although he hasn't done anything intimate with the prostitute. These two things, even if they are only physical