How does Holden experience coming of age; that is, how does he mature from the beginning of the book to the end?

In the
famous final scene of the book, it's clear thathas indeed matured over the course of the novel.
As he watchesriding on the carousel, each time reaching for the golden ring, each time missing
it and still being able to laugh hysterically, Holden finally realizes what really matters in
life. It's not the golden ringthat is to say, worldly achievementsthat is most important, but
rather it's how we live our lives. In other words, it's the process of life that provides
lasting fulfillment, not the end results.

This may not seem like a
particularly stunning transformation on Holden's part, but it's significant all the same,
because now, for the very first time, Holden has found some meaning in a life previously
characterized by nihilism, or a belief that life is meaningless. Critics have long debated how
much of a transformation this change in attitude really is, but what cannot seriously be debated
is the fact that Holden, in his own little way, is more mature at the...