Innocence In The Catcher In The Rye Innocents, Something everyone knew they would lose but had a harder time recognizing when it was actually gone. In J.D. In Salinger's novel The Catcher In The Rye, he uses the protagonist Holden Caulfield while he is transitioning out of his old school and wandering New York City as he starts to gain a new perspective on growing up and the loss of innocence. Throughout Holden's journey in the novel, he encounters different places like a carousel and objects like a record for his sister that works to symbolize innocence in Holden's mind. The symbols help him understand the loss of innocents, not only in himself but in the world at large. Through Salinger's use of symbolism, he reveals that innocence can only …show more content…
Eventually, everyone will grow up and have to let it go no matter how much one longs to hold on to it. In the novel, this is shown as Holden states, “something terrible happened just as I got to the park. I dropped old Phoebe's record. It broke into about fifty pieces. It was in an envelope and all, but it broke anyway. I damn near cried, it made me feel so terrible. (P.170). Just as Holden could not preserve the novelty of the record, he cannot preserve the innocence of youth forever. Although the record is bound to break eventually and kids must grow up and become adults, Holden wishes he could keep them fresh and young, but understands at the same time the world is ever-changing and things cannot forever be preserved. Soon after the record shattered Holden gathers the pieces and puts them in his coat pocket as he states, They weren't any good for anything, but I didn't feel like throwing them away. (P.170). Although Holden still tries to keep what little he can of the record, he knows that after it is broken, he can no longer restore it to its original state. Just as the record will never be restored to its youth, nor will children after their innocence is broken or shattered. Holden yearns to preserve the little bit of innocence he can hold on to, but acknowledges that once it is broken, it is
J. D. Salinger’s novel, Catcher in the Rye explores the ambiguity of the adult world Holden must eventually learn to accept. Throughout the novel, Holden resists the society grownups represent, coloring his childlike dreams with innocence and naivety. He only wants to protect those he loves, but he cannot do it the way he desires. As he watches Phoebe on the carousel, he begins to understand certain aspects of truth. He writes:
Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger is about a boy named Holden Caulfield who struggles with the codes of conduct his upper class lifestyle follows. For Holden, loss of innocence is not about smoking a cigarette as much as it is about his realization that the rules placed on him by society are phony. Holden distracts himself by focusing on his feelings of alienation because he does not want to face his own deep sadness over his own loss of innocence.
Themes in literary works are central, recurring ideas or messages that allow us to understand more deeply about the characters. It is a perception about life or human nature that is often shared with the reader. In The Catcher in the Rye, there are several themes that can be found in the words and actions of the narrator, Holden Caulfield. The dominating theme in this novel is the preservation of innocence, especially of children. We can see this throughout the novel, as Holden strives to preserve innocence in himself and others.
Have you ever pondered about when growing up, where does our childlike innocence go and what happens to us to go through this process? It involves abandoning previous memories that are close to our hearts. As we can see in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, we listen to what the main character; Holden Caulfield has to say about it. Holden is an average teenager dealing with academic and life problems. He remains untouched over his expulsion from Pencey Prep; rather, he takes the opportunity to take a “vacation.” As he ventures off companionless in New York City, we are able to observe many things about him. We see that Holden habitually states that he is depressed and undoubtedly, wants to preserve the innocence of others.
In this novel, Salinger denotes innocence by the way Holden views a variety of characters. First, Jane Gallagher, Holden’s childhood friend, displays innocence through her actions, and Holden’s opinions of them. She shows this trait by the unique way she played checkers with Holden. Holden describes this saying, “What she’d do, when she’d get a king, she wouldn’t move it,” (Salinger 31). This demonstrates her protectiveness and innocence, and additionally can be used to show her irreproachable lifestyle. Another thing that promotes Jane as an innocent character is the way Holden claims to know that she did not let Stradlater get sexual with her, while on their date. By assuming this, Holden shows that Jane is sexually innocent, and will always be seen by Holden as a permanent virgin. Another character that portrays innocence is a young boy Holden hears walking on the curb of the street singing, “If a body catch a body coming through the rye,” (115). This boy displays purity by naively walking next to the curb, while cars are rushing a couple feet away from him. This boy’s actions show being on the line of adolescents, the side walk, and adulthood, the street, while not falling into either side completely. Holden admires this boy’s morality because Holden is at the point in his life in which this is happening. Lastly, Holden’s younger sister, Phoebe, displays innocenc...
Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye follows the journey of a young boy, Holden Caulfield, from adolescence to adulthood. There are a number of symbols that Salinger uses to help to portray the various stages that Holden goes through as he matures into adulthood. The snowball incident, his sense of fulfillment when at the museum, and his run in with a pimp, are all representations of how Holden is deeply obsessed with innocence thoughts and how reluctant he is to give them up.
This reveals Holden’s fantasy of an idealistic childhood and his role as the guardian of innocence. Preventing children from “going over the cliff” and losing their innocence is his way of vicariously protecting himself from growing up as well. Holden acknowledges that this is “crazy,” yet he cannot come up with a different lifestyle because he struggles to see the world for how it truly is, and fears not knowing what might happen next. Holden’s “catcher in the rye” fantasy reflects his innocence, his belief in a pure, uncorrupted youth, and his desire to protect it. This fantasy also represents his disconnection from reality, as he thinks he can stop the process of growing up, yet
Holden identifies with, yearns for, and despises traits of the adult and child realms. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, fears becoming an adult who exhibits the characteristics that he holds complaints against. Throughout this Bildungsroman narrative, Holden searches for his identity. He tries to figure out his place either in the adult or child realm.
In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher In The Rye, Holden Caulfield, a seventeen-year-old boy, transitions from childhood to adulthood. The death of Holden’s little brother signifies the beginning his loss of innocence and growth of maturity. As he enters adulthood, Holden views society differently from his peers by characterizing most of his peers and adults he meets as “phonies.” Thus, Holden takes the impossible challenge of preserving the innocence in children because he wants to prevent children from experiencing the corruption in society. The Catcher In The Rye embodies Holden’s struggle to preserve the innocence of children and reveals the inevitability of and the necessity of encountering the harsh realities of life.
Innocence lies within everyone in at least one point in their lives, but as reality consumes them, that purity begins to vanish slowly as they learn new experiences. In the coming of age novel set in the nineteen-forties, J.D Salinger writes about a sixteen-year-old boy named Holden Caulfield who stands between a road that separates childhood from adulthood and is confused about which path to take. On a three-day trip in New York away from his family and fellow peers at school, Holden encounters many situations in which lead him to think twice about who he wants to become and how he wants to guide others who are in the same situation he is in. In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D Salinger utilizes symbolism, vivid imagery, and slangy diction to expose Holden’s struggle to preserve the innocence of the people that he loves while alienating himself from the adult world he calls “phony.”
In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield’s innocence is taken away through a twisted chain of events. The novel opens up with Holden depresses after fluking out of Penecy, the suicide of a classmate, and the death of his brother, Allie. Because if these tragic events, Holden tries to preserve his innocence and the purity of the children around him. Holden wants to “catch” all of the naïve children who are falling off the cliff into adulthood. As a result of Holden coming across his sister Phoebe and the “fuck you” on the wall of the school, Holden’s dreams of becoming the catcher in the rye disappear. He finally realizes that all children must fall into adulthood, just as he has.
From the moment a young child observes the privileges adults have in the world, they cannot wait for the day when they grow up. On the contrary, Holden Caulfield has no desire to grow up because his introverted personality protects him from the fear of the loss of innocence. Throughout the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the J.D. Salinger utilizes symbolism, discouraging imagery, and colloquial diction to make the reader be aware of Holden’s fear of the loss of youth. Holden, although he is only seventeen when he is narrating his story, he speaks as though he is an old man remembering his youth.
If there were one word to tell what the theme of the book was it would be innocence. How we are all innocent at some point, how to try to keep our innocence, and how no one can keep their innocence forever. We all fall from our innocence. Adam and Eve fell from grace and innocence and set the tone for all of our lives. Throughout the whole book Holden is trying to make people keep their innocence and he wants to hold onto it himself. What he needs to learn and does learn through the course of the book is that no one can keep his or her innocence. We all fall at some point, but what we have control over is how hard we fall.
J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, follows Holden Caulfield on his coming-of-age journey as he struggles with a fear of adulthood and makes futile attempts to protect children’s innocence. While there are moments of clarity for him, there is one pivotal moment that changes the psychological fabric of Holden’s mind and further illustrates one of the themes of the novel. This moment is shown through the carousel scene near the novel’s end. Before going through the transformative changes, he starts off as an immature young man without a grip on reality and lacking discretion.
Growing up is something that everyone experiences, and along with growing up comes the loss of innocence. In J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the protagonist Holden Caulfield wishes to be the “catcher in the rye” so that he can preserve the innocence of individuals. As Holden travels the streets of New York City, he realizes how ugly the adult world really is. As a troubled teenage boy, Holden does not want to grow up but soon concludes that he cannot stop himself from this process. Because of Holden’s belief that the adult world is full of phonies, his brother Allie’s death, and the loss of his own innocence, Holden feels compelled to protect the innocence of the people around him.