Why is one’s innocence constantly questioned by the world? In the books “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Slinger and “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, they share a common theme that is innocence and the maturation of children through by having their characters, Holden Caulfield, Scout Finch and Jem Finch, portray them through multiple situations. These three characters go through these situations for the reason one questions their maturity and innocence.
“The Catcher in the Rye” has a very unique protagonist, Holden Caulfield. Throughout the book, innocence and purity of childhood is what Holden struggles the most to protect. According to Sigmund Freud “children's basic sexual and aggressive desires would determine
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how their personalities developed and whether or not they would end up well-adjusted as adults.” Freud believed that childrens desires determine their personalities and if they’re capable of being adults.
Holden appears to always run into either women he knows or he starts talking to one. He has the intention of having sex with them but always turns the opportunity down. In one of the scenes, he is in a hotel in New York and he asked to bring up a prostitute to his room,” if you want to know the truth, im a virgin. I really am. Ive had quite a few opportunities to lose my virginity and all, but ive never got around to it yet.” (Salinger 100). He talks about losing his virginity but its clear to say that he is afraid to. Maybe the reason being he doesn’t want to make this big “adult” decision. There’s a lot of “acting” in this novel such that Holden is always pretending he’s an adult. “I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life.” (Salinger 19). Holden is trying to make himself appearolder by always smoking a ciggerette or sitting in bars or even trying to sleep with women. Holden reminisce’s a quote from a poem, “if a body catch a body coming through the rye.” (Salinger 128). His sister corrects him later saying that …show more content…
the quote is actually, “if a body meet a body coming through the rye.” Furthermore, holden wants to save people from the world. He has the intentions of catching the bodies coming through the rye. But most importantly he wants to be the one to save the children this world. He couldn’t even protect his own sister from the adult content of the poem because she knows it. To summarize Holden Caulfield, he is a young boy trying to discover himself through his innocence and purity. Scout Finch is the protagonist of “To Kill a Mockingbird”.
She is always allowing herself to learn something new and to mature at a fast rate or at least intend to. Scout learns many lessons throughout the novel. The crucial lesson taught by Atticus helps her in the novel, that is: you’ll never understand until you’re in their shoes. “you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view….until you climb into his skin and wak around in it.” (Lee 45). Scout learns this lesson by understanding Boo’s perspective. When Scout finds out that the men surrounding her father wanted to hurt him, “ Atticus said nothing. I looked around and up to Mr. Cunningham, whose face was equally impassive. Then he did a peculiar thinng. He squatted down and took me by both shoulders. “I’ll tell him you said hey, little lady.”” (Lee 206). She took it upon herself to go up to Mr. Cunningham and to start an innocent, friendly and mature conversation with him. He was reminded that he was neighbors and friends with Atticus. The final event is Scout was confused as to why her teacher, Miss. Gates, was a hypocrite, “ Nome, Miss Gates, it sayshere− well anyway, old Adolf Hitler has been after the Jews and puttin’ ‘em in prisons and he’s taking away all the property and he wont let any of ‘em out of the country and he’s washin’ all the feeble-minded and-“ (Lee 327). She’s a hypocrite when it comes to her hate towards Hitler and his hate towards jews, but she has the
same amount of hate towards black peopl. This is when she realized that the majority of people are hypocrites. According to Gabriela Gotay from Ezine articles, “She Scout will have to go on shaping her identity alone, or rather; letting her identity be shaped by the social paradigms of the time and place she lives in. For Scout, this fight for identity begins with her name.” Scout shaping her identity is by all the situations she came across. Scout wasn’t the only who came across challenging situations that allow her to mature. Jem Finch is the older brother of Scout Finch. He always tries to protect scout. Jem runs into multiple situations where he is forced to sacrifice himself. This shows his mature intentions. One of Atticus’s Strategies for parenting is to never dicipline his kids with violence and Jem didn’t want him to start, “I’m goin’ after ‘em,” he said. I sat upright. “you can’t. I wont let you.” He was struggling into his shirt. “I’ve got to.””( Lee 74). Jem went back for his pants for the reason being that he didn’t want to disappoint his father. He enjoyed the relationship he has with him and didn’t want to ruin it. Jem was very mature tin that matter. When Atticus told Jem to give back the blanket to Boo Radley, instead he started telling Atticus all his secrets about Boo and their encounters, “ Jem seemed to have lost his mind. He began pouring out our secrets right and left in total disregard for my safety if not for his own, omitting nothing, knot-hole, pants and all.” ( Lee 96). Near the end of the novel, Jem dresses up with his sister, Scout, for the pageant so she doesn’t feel embarassed. “ he thought Jem might escort me if I asked him.” (Lee 339). Jem took it upon himslef to go and protect his little sister from not only the dark night but from the kids at school. He was very mature to do such a thing. An Essayist, Jamie Brin, stated, “ Jem believes that Boo’s form of intimidation by his Father to stay in the house was ‘to chain him to the bed’ and his wild child like imagination of Boo Radley at the beginning is important because as the book progresses and Jem gets older, he realizes that Boo is just a normal human being who might not want to go outside.” He believed that Jem started out with a “ child like imagination” but as the novel progresses, Jem grew to be a very mature person in general. When reading “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee and “ The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D Salinger, the authors allowed readers to analize their novels by studying their pre-teen characters. They do so through the characters: Holden Caulfield, Scout Finch and Jem Finch. These novels share a common theme of innocence and the maturation of children by putting their characters through different situations that allows them to learn from their mistakes and to mature from them. Children in this generation have the need to mature and grow up very fast but it is yet to be discovered why.
Throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye, the movie Pleasantville, and even in real life, a theme constant is the theme of protection of innocence. The Catcher in the Rye portrays the idea of protection of innocence through the main character of Holden Caulfield. Holden is a highly troubled boy, and is constantly getting kicked out of schools. However, there is one idea he is fiercely serious about. He explains this idea to his sister when she presses him about his life choices. “Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids...and nobody’s around-nobody big, I mean, except me....What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff...I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all”(Salinger 173). This quote spoken by Holden is him
Throughout the history of literature, a great deal of authors has tried to reveal a clear understanding of the American Dream. Whether it is possible to achieve lies all in the character the author portrays. The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye stand as prime examples of this. F. Scott Fitzgerald and J.D. Salinger, the authors of these titles, respectively, fashion flawed characters, Jay Gatsby and Holden Caulfield, with one vital desire: the longing to gain what they can’t have; acceptance and the feeling of belonging. Each retaining characteristics that shows their differences and similarities in opinion of the world around them.
Holden Caulfield, portrayed in the J.D. Salinger novel Catcher in the Rye as an adolescent struggling to find his own identity, possesses many characteristics that easily link him to the typical teenager living today. The fact that the book was written many years ago clearly exemplifies the timeless nature of this work. Holden's actions are those that any teenager can clearly relate with. The desire for independence, the sexually related encounters, and the questioning of ones religion are issues that almost all teens have had or will have to deal with in their adolescent years. The novel and its main character's experiences can easily be related to and will forever link Holden with every member of society, because everyone in the world was or will be a teen sometime in their life.
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:
J. D. Salinger's notable and esteemed novel, Catcher in the Rye, reflects the hypercritical views of a troubled teenager, Holden Caulfield, towards everyone around him and society itself. This character has a distinguished vision of a world where morality, principles, intelligence, purity, and naivety should override money, sex, and power, but clearly in the world he inhabits these qualities have been exiled. Holder desperately clings to and regards innocence as one of the most important virtues a person can have. However, he son becomes a misfit since society is corrupted and he yearns for companionship, any kind of connection with another to feel whole and understood again. Ironically, despite his persistent belittling and denouncing of others, he does not apply the same critical and harsh views on himself.
Through the majority of the book, Holden repeatedly speaks about having “the time”; yet, however, he states that when he gets close to doing it, he stops because the girl hinders him. Holden has not proceeded with his desire to have “the time,” even when he hires a prostitute. When Holden first sees the prostitute, Sunny, he loses the urgency and desire to finally have sex. “I took her dress over to the closet and hung it up for her. It was funny. It made me feel sort of sad when I hung it up. I thought of her going in a store and buying it, and nobody in the store knowing she was a prostitute just thought she was a regular girl when she bought it. It made me feel sad as hell—I don’t know why exactly” (95-96). Holden imagines others thinking that Sunny is your average woman shopping, not knowing what kind of woman she truly is. From the contents of Holden’s mind, this section is an example of Holden him searching for a tiny trace of innocence left within Sunny. “ ‘Me? Twenty-two.’ ‘Like fun you are.’ I...
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
What was wrong with Holden, the main character in The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D.Salinger, was his moral revulsion against anything that was ugly, evil, cruel, or what he called "phoney" and his acute responsiveness to beauty and innocence, especially the innocence of the very young, in whom he saw reflected his own lost childhood. There is something wrong or lacking in the novels of despair and frustration of many writers. The sour note of bitterness and the recurring theme of sadism have become almost a convention, never thoroughly explained by the author's dependence on a psychoanalytical interpretation of a major character. The boys who are spoiled or turned into budding homosexuals by their mothers and a loveless home life are as familiar to us today as stalwart and dependable young heroes such as John Wayne were to an earlier generation. We have accepted this interpretation of the restlessness and bewilderment of our young men and boys because no one had anything better to offer. It is tragic to hear the anguished cry of parents: "What have we done to harm him? Why doesn't he care about anything? He is a bright boy, but why does he fail to pass his examinations? Why won't he talk to us?"
Holden’s sexual struggles are visible through his interactions with Sunny, Sally Hayes, and Carl Luce. Holden’s fascination with sex interferes with his elevated morals; as much as he wants to engage in intercourse, he voices his need to establish an emotional connection with his partner first, which prevents him from having casual sex. As much as physical intimacy is important to him, Holden needs to be taken care of and understood emotionally, as well, displaying that he holds sex in high regards and does not view it as something to be done carelessly. Holden just needs to be loved; but, unfortunately, his romantic life is sub-par at best, and until that changes, he’ll always feel confused – and very, very lonely.
Holden Caulfield has an utter lack of understanding of appropriate behavior around children. He also exudes guilt and the desire to run away and start all over again, and has very little understanding or ‘parental’ affection. These and other pedosexual behavior can be found in abundance throughout J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. Holden shows the desire for intergenerational intimacy, not necessarily rape. It is plainly proven that Holden is among the growing minority of people, such as NAMBLA, that simply has a love of children, as a homosexual loves a man.
In J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, the main character Holden Caufield believes that innocence is corrupted by society. He exposes his self-inflicted emotional struggles as he is reminiscing the past. For Holden, teenage adolescence is a complicated time for him, his teenage mentality in allows him to transition from the teenage era to the reality of an adult in the real world. As he is struggling to find his own meaning of life, he cares less about others and worries about how he can be a hero not only to himself but also to the innocent youth. As Holden is grasping the idea of growing up, he sets his priorities of where he belongs and how to establish it. As he talks about how ‘phony’ the outside world is, he has specific recollections that signify importance to his life and he uses these time and time again because these memories are ones that he wont ever let go of. The death of his younger brother Allie has had a major impact on him emotionally and mentally. The freedom of the ducks in Central Park symbolize his ‘get away’ from reality into his own world. His ideology of letting kids grow up and breaking the chain loose to discover for themselves portrays the carrousel and the gold ring. These are three major moments that will be explored to understand the life of Holden Caufield and his significant personal encounters as he transitions from adolescence into manhood.
Holden never seems to have a pleasant time interacting with the adults and the world they've created. Holden describes the hotel he was staying at as being "lousy with perverts (Salinger 62).” At the hotel, Holden characterizes every adult he sees as a pervert. He does not know any of them but because they are grown up he sees them strictly as perverts, despite who they truly may be. However, Holden does try to fit in amongst these alleged “perverts” but later in the novel his inability to engage with a prostitute demonstrates how despite his efforts to belong in the adult world he is still childlike. Salinger uses Holden's childlike ways along with his inability to conform to societal normalities to express how he views the adult world as something he doesn't want to fully commit to. Salinger puts Holden is suspended development in order to prove how hard it is to fully belong in the adult world, especially if its occupants are already corrupt in their own ways. Throughout the novel Holden prefers the company of children over the company of adults as he believes adults to be fake and perverted. While at Ernie’s bar one of D.B.’s old acquaintances, Lillian Simmons, strikes up a conversation with Holden. Lillian hasn’t uttered the words to Holden when he prematurely deems her “strictly a phony (Salinger 86).” Holden wants nothing to do with
The Catcher in The Rye, written by J.D. Salinger describes the story of a teenaged boy named Holden Caulfield who is obsessed with purity and preserving innocence in society. Holden has mental issues and his family sends him to too many private schools, in which he gets kicked out of all of them. His younger brother Allie died at an extremely young age and Holden remembers experiences he had with him very vividly. Allie’s death is one major factor that contributes to Holden obsession with purity and his mental problems. Holden’s obsession for purity is clear in his admiration of innocence in children, goal to keep society pure, and attempts to prevent children from engaging in sexual intercourse.
Holden is curious of what sex has to offer, however, this contradicts that he doesn’t want things to change and is scared of losing his innocence. At a point in the novel Holden says, “In my mind, I’m probably the biggest sex maniac you ever saw. Sometimes I can think of very crumby stuff I wouldn’t mind doing if the opportunity came up.“ (p. 67) However when he is put to the test, this curiosity proves to be misleading. During his stay in New York he calls a prostitute to his hotel room but when he is given the opportunity to sexually interact, he prefers human affection over casual sex. He even makes up excuses, for example, when he says, “the thing is, I had an operation very recently.” (p. 105) By rejecting this opportunity of sexual interaction he tries to preserve his innocence and make him appear more innocent compared to other characters in the novel. Holden is also scared of intimacy since he is wary of who he trusts. This stresses the feeling of alienation which Holden experiences throughout the novel because of his fears and isolation from
The 1950’s novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, revolves around a teenage boy named Holden Caulfield who is expelled from school and decides to spend a few days in New York before he goes home. The shift of no longer being a child, but not quite being an adult is present in the novel. As Holden narrates his difficult transition to adulthood, it becomes clear he is puzzled by the changes around him. Throughout the novel, Salinger uses characterization and symbolism to show Holden’s fear about entering the confusing adult world.