Holden's Maturity

Holden at times can be both mature and an immature boy. He goes gallavanting around the town trying to pick up girls, just to do nothing with them. He always pretends to be older than he really is, and uses a fake name when trying to pick up much older women. He thinks that everyone around him is fake and a phony, but he fails to realize the big picture being that he is a phony himself. Holden goes around judging others and picking out faults in peope - faults that he himself has. These both show that Holden is very immature as he doesn't take any of it seriously, thinking it is a big joke. Also the fact that he notices his own faults in other people not admitting the fact that they are indeed his own faults, is fairly immature. Another immature act of Holden is lying profusely to the acquaintances he meets about very trivial things for just kicks, such as being friends with a women's son that went to school with Holden.

Holden however can be mature at certain times. For example he goes around the city and knows how to get to his destinations, as well knowing where all the places are. Also he is responsible enough to hold onto enough money so that he can get food and everything else that he needs. Although he does waste some of it on alcohol and a hooker that he just talks to. Holden also has enough dignity and maturity to have respect for women unlike many of his male counterparts. For example he gets upset when Luce calls one of his (Luce's) ex girlfirends "The Whore of New Hampshire" because Holden realizes that it is wrong and insensible. Holden also doesn't care for Stradlater's way with women of "giving them the time".

Overall Holden is a fairly immature young man, with few qualities of maturity. Although he claims to look more like a nineteen or twenty year old, he often acts like an eleven or twelve year old. Holden does have a few occasions and situations where he will be mature and act his age or maybe a few years older, but for the most part Holden is an immature boy, physically, mentally and emotionally.