Sanctuary In J. D. Salinger's The Catcher In The Rye

Sanctuary in the Rye Throughout history, the transition to adulthood has always been considered to be the pinnacle of every child’s life. However, in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield’s transition was traumatizing, triggered by the abrupt death of his beloved brother, Allie, resulting in his dark, pessimistic personality. His projected hatred towards the phoniness of the adult world influence his desires to attain the titular role of the fictional “catcher in the rye”, a fantasy where he protects the innocence of children from the apparent dangers of adulthood. A misinterpretation of Robert Burns’ poem, “Comin’ thro the Rye”, Holden's dream only serves to reveal his fear of change and represents his futile struggle

Inspired by his accidental misinterpretation of Robert Burn’s poem, Holden strives to be a hero to the children, protecting them from the threat of maturity. This is shown when Holden becomes enraged at the vulgar words written on the wall of the school, saying, “It damn near drove me crazy...I kept wanting to kill whoever’d written it...I pictured myself catching him at it, and how’d I’d smash his head on the stone steps till he was good and goddam dead and bloody.”(201). To Holden, the profanity written on the walls is only one of the many representations of the adult world that threatens to creep into the minds of the children, jeopardizing their purity. Angered by the perpetrator’s audacity, he visualizes himself brutalizing and murdering the offender. Although unable to do so in real life, his passionate reaction reveals that his desire to preserve an unadulterated innocence in children is strong enough that he would be willing to consider murder. After his experiences with the perversions of the adult world, Holden shows that he is ready to go to great lengths just to protect the sanctuary of innocence that the rye in his