Anatole France once said, “If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t living.” In The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger is about the main protagonist, Holden, who experiences a mental crisis while voyaging in New York. Holden tries to search for something real while avoiding all the phoniness he is surrounded by. He fears growing up and changing, but later learns you must accept it. In the book, Salinger communicates that as we grow into adults we must accept change and loss of innocence. You must accept that you can’t change everything to stop the loss of innocence. While trying to contact Phoebe in her school, Holden encounters the curse word graffiti on the stairwell wall. He tries to erase it, but fails. Holden states, “It wouldn't come off. …show more content…
If you had a million years to do it, you couldn’t rub out even half the “FUCK YOU” signs in the world” (Salinger 222). When you grow up, you change and you lose your innocence. Upon seeing the curse word graffiti, Holden wants to protect the kids and their innocence, so he wants to erase the graffiti so they don't see it but further realizes you can't change everything. When growing up, you have to accept and let change happen. Holden wants to run away, but decides to say goodbye to his little sister Phoebe. When he meets up with Phoebe, she has her suitcase explaining that she wants to come with him. “‘What the hellya got there?’ She put the suitcase down. ‘My clothes’ she said. I’m going with you. Can I. Okay?’ ‘What?’ I said. I almost fell over when she said. ‘I’m not going anywhere. I changed my