Understanding a complex, and overwhelming book such as The Catcher in the Rye can be very challenging. Understanding the theme of consistency is a comfort factor is a major influence in the concept of comfort will drastically help a reader come to a greater understanding of a book as a whole. Salinger in expressing how humans need consistency to be comfortable. Salinger uses theme many times within The Catcher in the Rye. This essay will assess the theme of consistency is a comfort factor. Holden encounter consistency as a comfort factor throughout the book, and three notable examples are The Natural History museum, The ducks in the pond, and veterans day at Pency.
Holden often made comments about how much he liked a place, and then went on to justify his thoughts with justification that it was always the same. One major example of this was when he was in the Natural History Museum. “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move.†(121). Holden is expressing his love of consistency in this passage. He is showing that he thinks the best things in life are always there and always the same. He does not want it to change. He had felt comfortable because of the consistency, because he knew what would be there. He did not go in there, not knowing what would be there, and what it would be like. He know what exactly what to expect.
Holden also expressed concern when he noticed something that was not consistent, like the ducks in the lagoon in Central Park.
“The ducks. Do you know, by any chance? I mean does somebody come around in a truck or something and take them away, or do they fly away by themselves –go south or something?â€
Old Horwitz turned all the way around and looked at me. He was a very impatient-type guy. He wasn't a bad guy, though. 'How the hell should I know?' he said, 'How the hell should I know a stupid thing like that?â€
“Well don't get sore about it,†I said. He was sore about it or something.†(82)
