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Examples Of Loss Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye

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“No one knows the value of innocence and integrity but he who has lost them” William Godwin. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger captures three days in the life of a teenage boy after being kicked out of school. It takes place in America post World War II when a major belief in America was conformity. World War II gave way to many people wanting everything to be the same where everyone does the same thing and lives in identical houses just for the sense of security that the war or depression wouldn't take that away again. Instead of liking this, Holden instead feels trapped by the ideals and lost of who he should be. During Holden’s childhood he felt a loss of innocence when he was young. So he focuses on not letting others have the same …show more content…

Holden really steps out of the norms during this time. Since everyone was doing the same thing, while Holden was not, it was very strange and hard for others to connect with him. The adults in the world didn’t understand what children like him wanted and children like Holden didn’t understand why the adults were following certain ideals. This led to Holden thinking the adult world was phony. The quote by Godwin as stated above is something that leads Holden to do what he does. He believes that because the children haven’t grown up yet they don’t know how important their childhood is like Holden did. He doesn't want them to grow up and regret their childhood like him. The Catcher in the Rye can be compared to many teenagers these days suffering the same as Holden. This novel expresses many lessons that teenagers can learn from like how important it is to have human connections. It allows others to see in another teenager’s mind where they can hopefully connect with him. Like Holden many teenagers do not know what they are planning on doing later in life and like to limit themselves to certain things. The Catcher in the Rye shows that there are other options to choose from. Society as a whole needs to acknowledge that there is a prominent connection to people now and the novel so there might be things that adults are saying that don't connect to the children. Society needs to accept and help guide these teenagers before they become lost like

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Jordan Serrano, English 10, Ms. Leonard 3/20/2023 The life of a normal teen The life of a teen has always been viewed as selfish, troublemaking, and having no important role in society, but that's not true; teenagers are the future of society and are the ones that are going to make a change for the better. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, the protagonist is Holden Caulfield, who is seen as an unstable teen with many problems, but at some times you might even relate to Holden. However, Holden had dealt with many challenges that changed his whole life's pathway. For instance, after losing his brother and having to grow up all alone during one of the most important peaks of his life, Holden is like every other teenager.

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His old teacher is agonizing him about his failures at Pencey. He lectures Holden about how important it is to “play by the rules” meaning that if you want to get somewhere and be someone in life you have to be able to compromise and not think that you are better than anyone else. This conversation implies key aspects of him as a character. His contempt for adults is obvious, which is

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Holden says that all he want to do is be the catcher in the rye protecting children from falling. The whole novel Holden makes observation around him that are taking away from children's innocence. This is what upsets him the most the fact that everyone will eventually have to grow up. While he is trying to go get Phoebe he is reminded this in the following quote. “I went down by a different staircase, and I saw another "Fuck you" on the wall.

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Holden is a very complex character. He has a very angsty, angry, and escapist personality. He classes most other people as "phonies" yet craves closeness with another person. Instead of facing his problems, he prefers to run away from them. The major conflict is within Holden’s psyche.

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678 Words | 3 Pages

He tells readers that he is feeling peculiar, probably because of how nervous he is and the amount of regret he might be feeling at the moment. This plays a big part in the book because this is one of the first times we see that Holden is protecting his innocents by not giving up his virginity. Even though he is acting grown, Holden doesn't want it to change. The novel states that Holden is the catcher in the rye. Describing Holden catching kids from falling off a cliff symbolizing the protection of innocence.

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This connects to the theme of the story, which is that people should not force themselves to grow up when they are not ready yet. Throughout the novel, this theme is emphasized by Holden's love for the innocence of children. Overall, The Catcher in the Rye is an amazing novel to read, and very much deserves its position as a classic of American

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1065 Words | 5 Pages

For example when Holden sees all the naughty words on the walls of the elementary school that Phoebe goes to, he wants to try and erase them. This shows how he struggles with allowing young minds to be corrupted by things he feels they shouldn’t be exposed to, like when he says “I thought how Phoebe and all the other kids would see it, and how they’d wonder what the hell it meant,...” (201). He goes on to say how some dirty kid would tell them, furthering the thought that their young minds would be corrupted. Another example is when Phoebe asks Holden to tell her one thing he really likes and his response is, Allie and sitting there talking with Phoebe. This shows his contentedness with being in the simple and innocent world of his childhood.

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Holden has little control over his actions, is constantly lying, and purposefully alienates himself from others. It is clear of these things because, although Holden never says it, he makes it obvious he is undergoing treatment for this exact thing as he is writing this story. It’s clear that he thinks that becoming an adult is so bad because his parents were terrible to him and gave him no attention growing up. As a result, his mind became entangled with the notion that becoming an adult was bad and that he had to keep everyone from becoming one. Holden was clearly insane, he didn’t get any love or affection from his parents, he couldn’t let go of past trauma, and he struggled with the fact that everyone had to grow up.

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However, Holden had realized that innocence was inevitably only a passing cloud, and that in order to live life, you must savor innocence while also accepting the "phoniness". " D. B. asked me what I thought about all this stuff I just finished telling you about. I didn't know what the hell to say. If you want to know the truth, I don't know what I think about it. I'm sorry I told so many people about it."

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I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be” (Salinger 232). He views children’s innocence as an antithesis to adulthood, and he attempts to transform his alienation into something meaningful by coining himself “the catcher in the rye.” He strives to create a concept of youth and innocence only in their opposition without really trying to understand what they mean. His inability to come up with his own ideas can be connected with the identity struggles that come with the aftermath of war. Holden forms his identity in its oppositions to adult standards--standards that, apparently, only exist to corrupt youth.

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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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1076 Words | 5 Pages

In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger uses the main character Holden Caulfield to portray the loss of innocence. Holden is a teenage boy who struggles with adulthood and the innocence of being a child. Through Holden's experiences, Salinger shows that the loss of innocence can be painful and difficult, but it is also necessary for personal growth and maturity. Holden's journey towards loss of innocence is shown by several events, such as his expulsion from Pencey Prep School and his roams in New York City. Holden's expulsion from Pencey is a turning point in the novel, as it marks the beginning of his realization that he can no longer hold on to the innocence of childhood.

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858 Words | 4 Pages

These two struggles are what causes Holden to realise his purpose is being a catcher in the rye. His struggle to adulthood is quite evident. Holden states that the adult world is a nasty and horrible place, he thinks that the adult world is very phony, fake, and corrupt. These are words he uses quite often to describe the adult world, proving that he despises the thought of being an adult.

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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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He has trouble growing up and accepting life as it is. Holden thinks adults are "phony" which makes him hate the fact of growing up and staying innocent as much as he can while he is old enough to become an adult. He is frustrated with the world and people which makes him act with anger. His innocent childish dream is to be the Catcher in the Rye, to catch the kids before they become phonies like Holden says about adults. The moment he realizes that he cannot keep kids from falling or in other words, from growing up and becoming adults, he, reaches adulthood, and takes a big step towards it at the end of the novel.

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