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Catcher In The Rye Guardian Angel Of Innocence Analysis

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Someone is always crossing the line between childhood to adulthood, and innocence to experience. The trick is though, one has to be on one side of the line. It is not possible to walk on the line, it’s an all or nothing kind of thing. However, Holden tries to be the guardian angel of innocence and preserve the things that remind him of his childhood because of Allie stuck in the state of innocence—dead and preventing Phoebe from entering the realm of adulthood—maturity. Holden finds ways to be the guardian angel of innocence, even if it means he would lose his own innocence. He tries to protect Jane Gallagher, who holds special meaning to him because she keeps her kings in the back (31-32). The metaphor of Jane keeping her kings in the back row represents her innocence. She is careful and reserved, since in the game the whole point is to travel the king to the other side. However, if a king gets taken away then she would lose her innocence, or purity—her virginity. He shows an act of violence toward Stradlater because he hinted to Holden that he gave her the time in Ed Banky’s car (43). Holden, who doesn’t like many things in life, likes Jane genuinely and the …show more content…

He wants to be able to catch the children from falling off the cliff, or falling from innocence to adulthood. Hence his name is Holden because he wants to “hold” the children and be their safety net, catching them as they try to descend into adulthood. The descending into adulthood is equivalent to hell because he believes that being an adult is monstrous and that they are phonies. He doesn’t want to grow up and change because he rather lives in a world where things are constant. He doesn’t like change because he doesn’t know what the future holds, he wants to be in his safety zone. Therefore, he protects the people he loves the most from entering the realm of adulthood because he believes that it is a

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He tries to give himself up for this cause of saving children but he shows that he is not mature enough be able to make a meaningful impact in this perceived problem. It is clearly shown that Holden believes that there is a problem in society. He believes that children need to keep their innocence. He feels that loss of innocence negatively impacts people and feels that he has to save them. We can first see his personal issues about the lack of innocence when he discovers that Stradlater and Jane Gallagher had sex casually with no intention

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Inner struggles Twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week, the ticking clock never stops, neither do the lives of about 7,214,958,996 people on this Earth. Each one equipped with their own set of personal strengths and weaknesses, yet out of those 7 billion people, no two people are exactly the same. Some would say you’re born with it in your DNA, and others say it takes time, but what really causes weaknesses with in oneself? Personal weakness is something that no human being can avoid in their lifetime, no matter how great they have it or think they are. Two works of literature that exemplify this idea are Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange and J.D. Salinger’s

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**in' special.” Through this excerpt of “Creep”, you can connect it with Holden putting Jane up on a pedestal, even though it is communicated through her family history that she is anything but perfect. He doesn’t feel equal to her socially, or physically, because he, as I said before, is very critical of himself ,especially now that she is dating his seemingly “perfect” roommate,

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This is a symbol of the fact that innocence can’t forever be protected. Holden is very upset over the fact that innocence is being taken away in a

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“The recurring image of Jane Gallagher, an old friend who needs love and whom he he loves with strange unawareness.” (Branch 144) This quote shows that Jane is someone that even though she never comes across Holden’s path during the book, she is always on his mind. Also, the quote proves that Holden is in love with but does not quite know it yet. Holden loves Jane Gallagher but does not know it until he begins to narrate this story.

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Shortly after questioning Stradlater Holden asks if Jane “still keeps all her kings in the back row”(78). This implies Holden is protective by having him make sure Stradlater didn't try to make a move on the woman he loves. After Stradlater started to talk about his date with Jane Holden began to feel a certain way. When they were done talking Holden tried to “Sock him with all his strength”(43). This displays how after talking about Jane Holden doesn't like how Stradlater is talking about her the way he was and defends her in his own way.

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Holden wishes that people could keep their good qualities by “sticking them into glass cases and leaving them alone.” (Chapter16). While he realises that this is just a fantasy, it does not stop him from wanting to protect the children from falling into the emotional and mental distress of personality changes that occur in the journey from childhood to adulthood. This ties into the

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In the next chapter, Holden’s roommate Stradlater enters the room and Ackley leaves. Stradlater tells Holden he has a date with Jane Gallagher, a girl Holden knows from a summer vacation in Maine where he developed strong feelings for her. Holden becomes extremely leery as the night goes on since Stradlater is one of the more sexually experienced boys at Pencey, tormented by thoughts of Stradlater and Jane on their date. This is the first occurrence the reader sees of the pressure of teenage sexuality plaguing Holden’s

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A strong sign of his inability to recover is that he blames himself for his brother’s death. Holden seems himself as Romeo and Allie as Mercutio. Although he could not help Allie at all, he still places the blame on himself. Because he knows the negative effect of a premature loss of innocence, he clings onto his belief of innocence in the youth. His realization of the importance of innocence contributes more to the value of the theme throughout the

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Through his agitated disposition, Holden reveals his sincere worry for Jane and a vulnerable side of his rebellious personality. Holden favors the idea of persevering purity, not neglecting it, and his distress confirms his aversion to wasted innocence. He is not searching for sex, but instead seeks something more honest and wholesome in a relationship. While Stradlater views Jane as an object, Holden distinguishes her as a human being whom he wishes to protect. Karen Tolchin, a sophisticated English professor, also examines his morality, declaring, “Holden seems driven not by a desire for the gratification of his libido but rather by a zeal for a ‘more authentic, more spiritual alternative’ to inauthentic relation” (“Optimism, Innocence, and Angst”).

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Furthermore, Holden starts to hate all the adults or loses faith in them, calls them phony. Holden has a second thought of becoming an adult he loses hope in his future and it seems to him nothing in the world matters to him anymore. We can see that throughout the book. He smokes, gets drunk, and does daring acts like getting a prostitute in his room. He also tries to escape all this guilt and grief by wasting time with unnecessary people he calls phony.

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Holden struggles with growing up and facing reality. There are many examples of Holden’s immaturity that are displayed in many forms such as facing responsibilities, his speech, his actions, and etc. Holden’s outlook on adult life is that it is superficial and brimming with phonies, but childhood was all about looking pleasing and innocent. He wants everything to stay the same and for time to stop. As Holden progresses in age, he will discover more about becoming mature in the

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Overall, he wants to believe he can protect everyone else’s innocence because he wasn’t able to protect his own

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The ending chapter of the novel Holden finds the loss of innocence he’s been searching for. When Phoebe is riding the carousel and she reaches for the ring, it represents maturing. Phoebe is a symbol for youth and innocence, and she is reaching for maturity. Holden’s struggles during the novel, “The Catcher In The Rye,” he figures out the true loss of innocence lost in becoming an adult and the struggle to be one and Holden struggling to be the catcher in the rye to catch kids from losing adulthood. His relationship struggles are his key factors which makes Holden who he truly

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The failure to do this leads to missed opportunities for recovery. Nowhere is this greater emphasized than in his relationship with Jane Gallagher, the only character similar to Holden while having the ability to save him. The motif of games is shown when he remembers that Jane always kept her kings in the back row when playing checkers. She tries to keep the game moving forever just how Holden desires to remain a child forever. Like Holden, she also comes from a toxic family environment, keeping her kings in the back is a sign of possible sexual abuse from her alcoholic stepfather.

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