Holden’s inability to stay consistent with his own ideals shows how childish he really is. In The Catcher in the Rye, Instead of acknowledging that adulthood scares and confuses him, Holden invents a fantasy that adulthood is a world of superficiality and hypocrisy. The presence of this separate world is shown through the countless times in the book that he contradicts himself. One such contradiction is his hatred for the movies, but the fact …showed first 75 words of 464 total…

…showed last 75 words of 464 total…and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all.” Only a child would believe that he could manage such a lofty task of stopping “innocents” from entering Holden’s perceived adult world. His statement proves itself impossible metaphorically, by his inability to keep up with all of the people he knows.