Growing Up With Innocence Innocence is a word that can usually only be associated with children and teenagers. J. D. Salinger shows innocence through the main character, Holden, a 17 year old teenager who just got kicked out of another school, in his novel The Catcher in the Rye. Holden shows his innocence through how he wonders where the ducks go in the winter, his lack of sexual experience, and how he views the ‘f*** you’ written on the school’s wall. Throughout the novel Holden has an obsession of finding what happens to the Ducks in the pond during the winter. He attempts to find out what happens to them by asking his taxi drivers: “"You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? That little lake? By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over? Do you happen to know, by any chance?" I realized it was only one chance in a million” (60). The majority of people learn in elementary school that the many birds migrate south for winter and migrate back in by springtime. Not only does it show his lack of knowledge of bird migration, it shows Holden is very sympathetic for everything, because not that many people worry …show more content…
about if the ducks in a pond are going to be okay in the winter. They mostly worry about if they are going to have the proper attire, like gloves and a coat, to survive the winter with. During the novel Holden is very open about talking about his sexual experiences with girls.
These experiences never include sex due to him being a gentleman and stopping once a girl he is ‘necking’ says to stop. However there is a time he gets intimate with his good friend Jane Gallagher: “I held hands with her all the time. […] That doesn't sound like much, I realize, but she was terrific to hold hands with. […] We'd get into a goddam movie or something, and right away we'd start holding hands, and we wouldn't quit till the movie was over. [...] All you knew was you were happy. (11.6).” The majority of male adolescents wouldn’t be happy on a date if they only held hands and didn’t do something a little more intimate. But not Holden he was very happy that they held hands throughout the
film. Children and Holden are alike, innocent, Somebody'd written "Fuck you" on the wall. It drove me damn near crazy. I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see it, and how they'd wonder what the hell it meant, and then finally some dirty kid would tell them – all cockeyed, naturally – what it meant, and how they'd all think about it and maybe even worry about it for a couple of days. I kept wanting to kill whoever'd written it. I figured it was some perverty bum that'd sneaked in the school late at night to take a leak or something and then wrote it on the wall. I kept picturing myself catching him at it, and how I'd smash his head on the stone steps till he was good and goddam dead and bloody. (201) There is a 99.99% chance that the F--- you written on the wall was put there by a student from the school, not a pervery bum. But it is nice to see that Holden has put into consideration on how Phoebe and her peers will see this profane statement on the wall and will receive corrupt information about what it means from some dirty kid, this shows how Holden is overly caring about small issues. Overall, Salinger displays innocence through the protagonist, Holden, in The Catcher in the Rye. The author dispalyed
In chapter 2 of The Catcher in the Rye Holden ponders while conversing with his teacher “where the ducks go when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over.” Holden views himself as one of the ducks that are forced to adapt
Holden twice inquired about the “disappearing” ducks in Central Park. When the pond is frozen in the winter, where would the ducks go? This symbolizes that Holden is curious about his own mortality which was affected him by his brother’s death. So he came here to look for answers, but he didn’t find any duck. “I nearly fell in, but I couldn’t find any…Boy, I was still shivering like a bastard… I thought I probably get pneumonia and die.” (154)
At several points during the course of the novel, Holden asks as to what happens to the ducks who are normally on a pond in Central Park, when winter comes and the water freezes. On page 60, Holden asks, "You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? That little lake? By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over?
One crucial conversation is with the taxi driver regarding the ducks in Central Park. The conversation seems trivial, of no real significance. However, for Holden it has great importance. His concern about where do the ducks go in the winter seems to deal with the question that young people have about what their direction is in life. The cab driver, Horwitz, responds to an irritating question from Holden: “If you was a fish, Mother Nature’d take care of you, wouldn’t she? Right? You don’t think them fish just die when it gets to be winter, do ya? (Salinger 83) The answer is clear to Holden. Everything will survive the winter, no matter if it’s a duck or a fish. However, this does not give Holden a guarantee of protection from what he fears most-becoming a phony or more importantly, having no choice to become phony in order to
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s outlook in life is either the innocence of childhood or the cruelty of adulthood. He believes that the innocence of childhood is very valuable and it should be protected from the cruelty and phoniness of the adult world. Therefore Holden has a desire and is compelled to protect a child’s innocence at all costs. This is revealed when Holden tells Phoebe that he wants to be the catcher in the rye. Holden says to Phoebe, “What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they’re ru...
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.
At various points during the course of the novel, Holden inquires as to what happens to the ducks who are normally on a pond in Central Park, when winter comes and the water freezes. As he inquires, the answers he receives range from as farfetched answers as the idea that the ducks still remain there under the ice, just as the fish do, to uncaring answers such as a simple "What a stupid question!" remark. Despite the answer he gets, Holden is never satisfied with the reply. Holden doesn’t consciously realize that the ducks relate to him. Whether he will admit it or not, Holden is scared. He has been kicked out of numerous schools, he can’t get good grades, his parents are angry with him, and he spends his days wandering through New York City. He doesn’t know where he is going to go, reflecting his question about the ducks. Perhaps if he knew where the ducks went, he could follow their example.
...ing stays frozen and everyone belongs in society. Therefore, during the winter time, the ducks are isolated as once, but they still belong together. Holden is isolated from the people around him and he is more protected within himself. Holden doesn’t know how he is going to make it through his own winter, just like he doesn’t where the ducks will end up during winter.
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.”
The song “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye” asks if it is wrong for two people to have a romantic encounter out in the fields, away from the public eye, even if they don’t plan to have a commitment to one another. It is highly ironic that the word “meet” refers to an encounter that leads to recreational sex, because the word that Holden substitutes—“catch”—takes on the exact opposite meaning in his mind. Holden wants to catch children before they fall out of innocence into knowledge of the adult world, including knowledge of sex.
It is a constant throughout the story that Holden is unpleased with what his life has to offer and, consequently, is in a persistent pursuit of some
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.
Growing up and becoming mature can be an intimidating experience; it is difficult to let go of one’s childhood and embrace the adult world. For some people, this transition from youthfulness to maturity can be much more difficult than for others. These people often try to hold on to their childhood as long as they can. Unfortunately, life is not so simple. One cannot spend their entire life running from the responsibilities and hardships of adulthood because they will eventually have to accept the fact that they have a role in society that they must fulfill as a responsible, mature individual. The novel “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger follows the endeavours of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old teenage boy who faces a point in his life where he must make the transition from childhood to adulthood. In an attempt to retain his own childhood, he begins hoping to stop other young children from growing up and losing their innocence as well. As indicated by the title, “The Catcher in the Rye” is a book that explores a theme involving the preservation of innocence, especially of children. It is a story about a boy who is far too hesitant to grow up, and feels the need to ensure that no one else around him has to grow up either. His own fear of maturity and growing up is what leads to Holden’s desire to become a “catcher in the rye” so he can save innocent children from becoming part of the “phoniness” of the adult world.
Just like the ducks, he is homeless. Throughout the novel, Holden asks several cab drivers what happens to the ducks, but he never gets an answer. If Holden knew what happens to the ducks and was reassured that they were safe, it would have given him a sense of comfort. Not only do the ducks symbolize Holden’s situation, it symbolizes change. This is important because it is clear that Holden doesn’t like the change of growing up.
He asks,“You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? That little lake? By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over” (Salinger 67). The timing is important in this example because Holden has already begun his journey toward adulthood and is looking for advice. Also, Holden asks the question to an adult, which symbolizes he is trying to piece together evidence and construct a plan from an adult’s perspective and experience. Which is a smart thing to do since he is heading into adulthood and working on becoming self-sufficient. As well as the importance of the timing, the adult’s occupation can also have some importance. He asks the question to his cab driver, whom of which is generally not the smartest of people. This also highlights Holden’s lack of awareness and understanding of his surroundings. Rather than asking a question to a smart and successful adult, he asks his cab driver. Since Holden is blown off and scolded by the cab driver, this shows that most likely the cab driver is unable to provide Holden with the proper advice he is looking for. Similarly, with Holden’s question about ducks, and his journey to adulthood, the reader and Holden never find a true answer. However, much like the ducks’ struggle in the winter time, the seasons will eventually change and times will get better. This is seen at the