Big Glass Cases
“Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone. I know that’s impossible, but it’s too bad anyway” (Salinger 136). I think this quote accurately portrays Holden’s strong resistance to change and his enjoyment of familiar, and consistent things. This is due to his fear of his quickly approaching adult years and his want to remain free from the uncertainties and phoniness of adulthood. He has such a great fear of becoming corrupt from adult life and a phony in his career, that he dismisses so many job options he cannot possibly imagine himself in any job that is common in his social class. The Museum of Natural History is one symbol of Holden’s fondness for unchanging things. He enjoys that every time he visits the museum it is the same and it allows him to be reminiscent of his childhood. The museum represents many of the fonder memories he has of his youth and shows the innocence and cur