Old

Throughout the course of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the character of Holden uses the world "Old" quite frequently. I noticed that throughout the course of the novel, Holden refers to multiple people as Old. He does not do this is a negative way, as of in age, but he does it as a title for them. For example, Holden refers to someone as old two sentences in a row. He states, "Old Brossard was a bridge fiend... Old Ackley parked himself in my room" (Salinger, 48). Holden not only refers to people older than him as "Old", but he also does it to people that are the same age as him. Two examples of this would be Brossard and Ackley. Both of those characters are nearly or the exact same age as him. I think that Holden does this as a way of holding onto his childhood. I believe he likes to call others old because it allows him to feel young. Holden spends a lot of the novel grasping on to his childhood. By referring to people as old in our lives, we are able to feel rejuvenated, just as Holden.