Throughout the course of human history one fact has not changed and that is all people are different and face challenges and troubles. Literature is an easy way to share and better comprehend one’s problems. In J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is a 16 year old boy who is struggling with the change from being a child to being an adult and confronting the unavoidable loss of one’s innocence. Holden is a unique character and his problem is a major theme throughout the story represented through multiple characters, his actions, and even a song and an object.
The Catcher in the Rye is a beloved novel, despite its vulgarity and sexual reference; however, those are topics that are present in the loss of innocence. When Holden finds out that
Stradlater took
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Later on in the novel when
Holden meets the prostitute, he thinks “I felt more depressed than sexy, if you want to know the truth. She was depressing.” It is believed that Holden was upset that she was living that life and that she lost the innocence of childhood along the way and was possibly forced into that kind of adulthood. Holden’s actions show readers who he is and how deeply he feels about the difference in childhood and adulthood.
When Holden Caulfield visits his sister, Phoebe, they discuss a song and Holden’s misinterpretation that turns out to be “If a body catch a body comin’ through the rye”. He then tells Phoebe about the image that entered his mind at the words which consisted of children running through a field of rye and they start to fall off a cliff when he catches them. When
Holden states that this is the only thing he would really like to be, it allows readers to notice his fierce desire to protect the innocence in others.
At the end of the novel, Phoebe gets upset with Holden for not allowing her to go with him and feels betrayed. Holden then promises that he will stay and convinces her to go for
In The Catcher in The Rye, by J.D, the main character, Holden, can be seen as a troubled teenager growing up in a less than perfect society. Throughout the novel Holden struggles with the fact that many young and innocent kids will grow up and see the world from a different perspective. He naturally becomes worried for all future generations who will one day grow, as he did, and loose their innocence. The fixation of youth and innocence can be seen in the title of the book, as well as throughout the novel.
The relationship between Holden and Phoebe forms a major theme that the novel aims to deliver. The fact that he is having this conversation with Phoebe, a child who is anything but simple and innocent, reveals the oversimplification of his worldview. Holden himself realizes this to a degree when he acknowledges that his idea is “crazy”, yet he cannot come up with anything more pragmatic; he has trouble seeing the world in any other way. His “catcher in the rye” fantasy reflects his innocence, his belief in pure, uncorrupted youth, and his desire to protect that spirit. On the other hand, it represents his extreme disconnection from reality and his naïve view of the world. Phoebe exposes to Holden a living embodiment of childhood. And it is a scene with her where she exposes to Holden the illogical nature of his supervisory actions, indicating that his desire to preserve her innocence will only halt her own inevitable development. Phoebe is the Greek word for “protector of children” (Bloom 2009, p185). Within the novel she is Holden’s protector. She comforts him, provides him with financial security, and protects him from getting in trouble with their mother. Reiff describes this reversal of roles between Holden and Phoebe as “Now, instead of saving the world by protecting the children, Holden wants to reject the world and shut himself off from evil by becoming a ‘deaf-mute’ in the West. It is Phoebe who rescues him from this total withdrawal” (Reiff 2008, p71). Phoebe forces Holden to view her as a human—living and progressing— rather than as a forever preserved child, and it is this humanization that causes Holden to accept her eventual progression into
One of the main conflict’s in the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is the recurring theme of innocence. Holden attempts to resist maturing and wants to live his life as an innocent adolescent, by staying the same, like the exhibits in the Museum of Natural History. As he reflects on the corruption of innocence
Jasmine Szucs 9-24-14 English 2 Ms. Martin Holden Caulfield: The Protector of Innocence Thesis: During the novel Catcher in the Rye, author, J.D Salinger, portrays Holden Caufield’s loss of innocence through his altering mental stability and hypocritical mentality towards the adult world. I. Introduction A. Seventeen year old Holden Caulfield, in J.D Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, is a character who is resentful of the reality ahead of him, while displaying immature, careless behavior as the novel progresses. B. Holden is protective of his youthful qualities and cannot release them as he matures into a young adult. C. Throughout the novel Catcher in the Rye, author, J.D Salinger, portrays Holden Caufield’s loss of innocence through his altering mental stability and hypocritical mentality towards the adult world.
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.
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
In Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield is a teenage boy who has been kicked out of his school, Pencey Prep. He is now back in New York City, wandering about since he didn’t tell his parents about his expulsion. Through his journey, Holden discovers the many hardships of adulthood, one of them being the loss of innocence. J.D Salinger uses tone to develop the theme that innocence is short-lived.
Many times throughout the book Holden starts having strong feelings for a particular person for no reason at all. It is very confusing for
Not only does Holden feel great affection for Phoebe, Phoebe feels great affection for Holden as well. It isn't too hard to understand that she and Holden are especially close since one of their brothers is dead and the other lives miles from their home. It is also surprising on how quickly Phoebe realizes that Holden came home earlier than expected. It is obvious that Phoebe is much more mature and articulate for her age to realize something like that so quickly. It is as if she is Holden's older sister instead of the younger one.
Holden has several insecurities that are displayed throughout the book that hint at his condition.
Holden’s changes throughout the story are testimony, to his own sincere transition in life. In the book Holden’s symbolized transition
Holden is unable to accept realities of life because of his negative personality. He claims that many people are phony and that they try to do things to make them look better than they are. Holden also thinks of many things as depressing. “It was really nice sightseeing, if you know what I mean. In a way, it was sort of depressing, too, because you kept wondering what the hell would happen to all of them” (p. 123). Holden always finds a down side to a situation. He fails to recognize the good sides of life, and this prevents him from seeing advantages in adulthood that are not present in his life.
Holden announces that “I felt so damn happy all of a sudden, the way old Phoebe kept going around and around” (Salinger 213). He starts crying on the bench when he understands that Phoebe is growing up and he cannot be her Catcher in the Rye to protect her innocence because that would most likely cause more harm than good. That realization makes him ecstatic because he no longer feels as if he is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders as he is able to see that all children will eventually fall out of innocence into adulthood. On the other hand, Holden feels his own loss of innocence as he shares an innocent moment with Phoebe who remains clueless to the harsh reality of life but he is now able to accept that loss and the change to come. Ultimately, Holden does not feel as if he has to continue alienating himself from society because he feels the obligation to be part of it as well. During this moment, the rain mirrors his tears of joy which are helping to wash away the mistakes of the past and bringing growth for renewal and this acceptance to moving forward allows him to seek the necessary help. A third way that Holden grows and obtains maturity in The Catcher in the Rye is when he no longer denies
In J.D.Salinger’s novel, Catcher In The Rye, Holden Caulfield, the main character of the novel, is a walking paradox who desires to hold onto his innocence and ,in his mind, thinks that people who lose their innocence will either turn into a “phony” or a “jerk”. During his journey towards trying to preserve his innocence Holden affected his desire to hold on to his innocence through his action, such as his experience with a prostitute named Sunny, his interaction with Sunny shows him that most of the world of adults is just an illusion. Another person who affects Holden desire is his 10 year-old sister Phoebe Caulfield, his interaction with his sister phoebe shows how it’s ok to lose your innocence because with the loss of that innocence you
Phoebe is Holden's only real friend in the novel. Holden states, “...if you tell old Phoebe something, she knows exactly what the hell you’re talking about. I mean you can even take her anywhere with you”(75). She is his confidant, and in Holden's view, the only person that understands him. She represents one of the few positive ideas that Holden expresses in the novel as she possesses the innocence and honesty of childhood, which is all Holden respects. It is from this innocence and purity that Holden feels he is being forcefully removed. Holden buys Phoebe an album with a song with the lyrics "If a body meet a body comin' through the rye" on it, thinking the song said, "If a body catcha body comin' through the rye" (191). The original lyrics