Catcher In The Rye Loss Of Innocence

Oftentimes individuals have difficulty separating themselves from their childhood and accepting the reality of maturation. In J.D Salinger's The Catcher in The Rye, Holden develops the desire to protect innocence due to his fear of maturation, leading to an awareness of his inability to do so. Holden Caulfield is a young teenage boy who has been through numerous rough encounters with himself and others , in which have led him to a mental hospital. Holden is sharing these moments with a psychiatrist where he stays. Caufield is not fond of change, and wishes everything could always just stay at its original state. His younger sister Phoebe is his ideal, pure innocent child, in which he adores. Lastly, Jane, is another girl in which Holden

wishes to protect the innocence of, but Holden finds difficult to do.
The protagonist, Holden Caulfield, has a difficult time coping with change, especially when it comes to a child going through the process of becoming an adult.

While Holden gets around New york in a cab, he asks the driver a question about the ducks in central park; “Do you happen to know where they go in the wintertime?” (Salinger 91). Holden is fascinated by the idea that the ducks leave every winter, but when they come back they always stay the same. His fascination reveals his desire to find a place that will give children the ability to escape adulthood. The ducks symbolize Holden's desire to preserve the innocence within children, just as the place where the ducks go preserve them. Furthermore, Holden reveals his fondness of The Museum of Natural History in New York. The reason for it as Holden states, “The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was” (135). Holden admires the fact that nothing changes, everything will always stay in its original state.The museum has the ability to preserve all that's in it, just as holden wishes to do so with innocence. Ultimately revealing Holden's fantasy world. He wishes himself and all those around him could live within it. Therefore they would never have to change, children would not have to go into adulthood and that innocence would be preserved. Holden's inability to let go of childhood allows him to make connections with non-human objects and relating them back to his desire to preserve

innocence.
Phoebe is Holden's younger sister, she represents his ideal of a child's innocence in which he desires to keep preserved. Holden portrays a strong admiration for his younger sister and it is revealed as he speaks about her; “Old Phoebe. I swear to God you'd like her. She was smart even when she was a very little kid” (Salinger 76). Holden sees in Phoebe exactly what he wishes to protect. Phoebe models what the protagonist desires to see among all children. Holden's younger sister's child-like innocence yet adult like keenness makes her the ideal. In addition, once Phoebe is with Holden they decide to go to the zoo together. Phoebe found a carousel and went for a ride, Holden sits and observe; “All the kids were grabbing the gold ring and so was old Phoebe, and i was sort of afraid she’d fall off the goddam horse, but i didn't say or do anything” (232). Holden wants to keep Phoebe away from danger, and worries when she puts herself in this dangerous situation due to her vulnerableness. However, Holden finally realizes it is not possible to keep a child, a child forever. Therefore he does nothing as Phoebe reaches for the ring, and decides children need to learn things on their own. This gold ring symbolizes one of the many steps of growing up kids must take and Holden must accept. Through such encounters with Phoebe, Holden becomes aware of his inability to preserve innocence, and accept adulthood.
Jane Gallagher is a childhood friend of Holden, she is highly respected by him. Holden reveals his feelings towards Jane through his actions and conversations with peers. As Holden is lounging in his dorm he is informed Jane is down at Pency Prep, the all boy school Holden has been kicked out of. Holden begins to reminisce on their past, the times they played chess in particular; “What'd she do when she’d get a king, she wouldn't move it, she’d leave it all in the back row” (Salinger 31). The kings Jane keep in the back row symbolize the children Holden would like to hold back and away from danger. Just as Jane does with her kings, Holden wishes to do so with children. In relation to Jane, Holden hopes she still keeps those kings in the back row while playing. This would reveal a piece of innocence still left within Jane, in which Holden wishes to be preserved. However the only reason being for Jane truly keeping her kings such a way, was simply for the way it all looked (32). Moreover, Holden learns Jane is going on a date with a friend of his, Stradlater. Holden reveals Stradlater to be a womanizer and one whom is not quite sensitive to womens feelings. He is not amused when Stradlater tells him about his date with Jane. Holden expresses his dissatisfaction, “You don't even know if her name is Jane or Jean, ya goddam moron! (50). Holden desires to preserve the innocence within Jane. However he knows Stradlater has the ability to take that innocence away from her. The protagonist feels down, as he recognizes he has failed to retain Jane's innocence, but in reality there is no possible way to completely do so. It is made clear, the importance of Jane to Holden, and yet another display of Holden's wish to do something not physically possible.
Throughout The Catcher in The Rye by J.D Salinger, the protagonist Holden becomes apprehensive of his inability to keep children from entering adulthood and leaving behind their innocence. Holden does not think highly of the thought of change, Holden wishes to preserve all’s innocence just as the museum and the ducks seem to do. In addition, the reader is introduced to Holden’s younger sister Phoebe, who is his ideal innocent child who he wishes to keep as so. However incidents with his sister lead him to become aware of his inability to do what he desires. Lastly, his childhood friend Jane, whom he hopes is still holding on to a tiny bit of her innocence hoping to keep it forever. As Holden is exposed to the steps people in his life are taking to adulthood, he is taking his own. Holden became closer to accepting adulthood, with each encounter. The life of a child may be simple and timeless, some may wish to keep such innocence sustained in order to protect from what's to come.