How Is Holden Caulfield State Of Innocence

All children must one day grow and emerge from childhood into adolescence. In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield embarks on a quest for knowledge. Throughout his journey, Holden attempts to save innocent children from maturing through preventing them from adult subjects such as profanities and death. However, at the end of his odyssey, Holden realizes how nothing can withstand change and growth hence, he accepts reality as he falls into a state of unconsciousness. The experiences and situations Holden comes across throughout his journey allows him to divert from a state of innocence to the retainment of knowledge.

Holden Caulfield is described by J.D Salinger as a rebellious teenager who neglects social norms and rules. First,

Holden explains how every student in the school is watching the football game except for him.

“He was standing way up up on Thomsen hill, instead of the game” which indicates his inability to conform with other students and events. Afterwards, Holden is taught about, “life being a game and all” (Salinger, 11) that, “one plays according to the rules” (Salinger, 11). However, Holden’s perception of life is different as he believes that life provides two options; success or failure. He states, “if you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then it’s a game [...] but if you get on the other side [...] what’s a game about it?” (Salinger, 11). His perception of life leads to the way he sees people, Pencey Prep, and the characters in the novel as phonies. He tells the reader that he intentionally acts naive and childish, “but people never notice it, people never notice anything”

(Salinger, 12). Holden also criticizes Pencey Prep as he believes their motto, “Since 1888 we have been molding boys into splendid, clear-thinking old men” is false and, “they don’t do any damn molding at Pencey than they do at any other school” (Salinger, 4). Holden’s roommate Stradlater is also considered a phony as he is a, “secret slob”. To the outside world, Stradlater is a handsome, cool, jock yet, Holden notices that he doesn't take great care of the small personal items such as his dirty, gross razor. Thus, Holden’s criticism towards others reveals his own hypocrisy however is also indicates his need for guidance and support.
Salinger reveals to the reader how Holden is suffering from both an internal and external conflict. His external conflict is his inability to conform with social norms but Holden’s internal conflict is his discrepancy with the concept of growth and change. Holden questions the taxi driver by asking, “By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over?” (Salinger, 67). Holden’s question explains how his brother’s death influenced the beliefs and concepts he was taught as a child. Holden is told people die after living a peaceful and successful life yet Allie was taken away at such a young age. Hence, Holden’s question explains how he is asking for a reaffirmation and a solution to his brother’s early death. Furthermore, Holden will embark on a quest for knowledge and attempt to stop children from learning the malfeasance of humanity as he is afraid their fate will be equivalent to Allie’s. Thus, Holden’s inability to conform leads him to quest for knowledge and insight.
The poem, “Catcher in the Rye” reinforces Holden’s ambition to prevent children from learning and emerging into adolescence.

The poem written by Robert Burns is primarily about the concept of sex however Holden misinterprets the poem and claims that he is the guardian of childhood. Holden hears the little boy singing "If a body catch a body coming through the rye." (Salinger, 128) and it brings him comfort and pleasure. Holden notices that the boy is walking in the street where on the sidewalk, “his parents paid no attention to him” (Salinger, 128) and on the street, “The cars zoomed by, brakes screeched all over the place” (Salinger 128). Through Holden’s description of the boy, the reader understands how Holden is portraying the boy standing on the threshold of adolescence with the protection of his parents of one side and the dangers of reality on the other. However, Holden’s description is incorrect considering he misinterprets the poem as the correct lyrics are, “If a body meet a body coming through the rye”. The mistaken lyrics of the song is directly related to Holden’s belief in saving children from growth and change. As a result of Allie’s death, Holden does not accept the concept of change thus, he manipulates the lyrics in order for the significance of the song to conform with his ideology. Holden tells Phoebe how it is his responsibility, “to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff” (Salinger, Ch. 23) and how he would be, “the catcher in the rye and

all” (Salinger, Ch. 23). The children falling off a cliff signifies children emerging into adolescence yet Holden attempts to save their childhood innocence by being the catcher in the rye. Furthermore, Holden’s perception of the boy standing on the threshold of adolescence is truly a metaphor as Holden is seeing himself on the brink of childhood. He is afraid of himself growing and changing thus, “he acts naive and childish” (Salinger, 12) in order to preserve his childhood innocence. As Holden is midway through his odyssey, Salinger foreshadows how Holden is slowly losing his grasp on childhood as there are many situations where Holden describes himself falling or slipping away. Holden states, “Every time [he] came to the end of a block and stepped off the goddam curb, [...] [He would] just go down, down, down” (Salinger, Ch 25). The literal significance of Holden falling is him going through a mental breakdown although his fall also indicates how Holden is nearing the end of his odyssey where he will accept that nothing can withstand change. Therefore, Holden belief in saving children from growing and changing is reinforced through the poem as Holden is nearing the end of his odyssey where he will experience an epiphany.
The museum causes an epiphany as Holden begins to realize the change in himself. The significance of the museum as a symbol is that it brings Holden stability as it reminds of a time where Allie was existent. Additionally, Holden states, “[He] knew that whole museum routine like a book. Phoebe went to the same school [he] went to when [he] was a kid, and [they] used to go there all the time.” (Salinger, 134) However, Holden has this misconception where he believes nothing has changed in the museum since his previous visit. Yet when Holden approaches the museum, he refuses to enter as, “all of a sudden [he] wouldn't have gone inside for a million bucks. It just didn't appeal to [him]” (Salinger, 136). Holden’s apprehensive behaviour indicates his fear towards and growth considering if Holden had entered the museum, he would have realized the change in himself in comparison to the previous time he had visited the museum. Thus, Holden's belief in protecting childhood innocence is challenged when Holden recognizes that the museum will lead to his realization of the change in himself. Furthermore, Holden agrees to enter the museum with two children as he believes he will experience the same encounters and events as he had when he was a child.