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Examples Of Loss Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye

1177 Words5 Pages

Abby Steadman
Ms. Crane
Accelerated English 10
05 April 2023
The Loss of Innocence in Life
In the show All American, Spencer James’s father left the family when he was young, leaving his mother to support a toddler and little kid. Spencer was forced to mature quickly to help support his family. He saw the cruel world at a young age, which caused him to lose his innocence and become more naive. He protected his brother, trying to keep him innocent for as long as possible, even when faced with difficulties. Like Spencer James, Holden Calufeild, from the novel The Catcher in the Rye, faced trauma at a young age, leading him to lose his innocence early on. Both had to be strong and attempt to preserve the innocence of their younger siblings, …show more content…

Holden and Phoebe fought. Trying to make up for it, Holden took her to the zoo. Holden let Phoebe ride the carousel while he watched. It started to rain as she reached for the golden ring. Holden thought to himself, “The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything” (Salinger 273-274). The golden ring is a symbol of maturing. It shows Holden that even if he does not want to, he has to let Phoebe grow up and lose some of her innocence. Adults want children to stay young and naive forever. Unfortunately, this is not possible, as displayed by the golden ring on the carousel. Holden did not want to let go of Phoebe’s innocence, but he learned that one has to let a kid mature on their terms. One cannot keep a child innocent forever. Holden needed to learn to let Phoebe go, so he watched her ride the carousel from the outside. Letting Phoebe go was one of the happiest moments in Holden’s life. He learned to accept that Phoebe will not be innocent forever and she will no longer be a naive child. One’s innocence will eventually expire, even if attempted to be

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