Examples Of Loss Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye

“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

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