How Does Holden Maintain A Loss Of Innocence

In “The Catcher in the Rye,” Holden Caulfield, a 16-year-old teenager experiences the transition from the tender years of childhood to the challenges of adulthood. Throughout the novel, Holden’s narration of “The Catcher in the Rye” indicates a cynical and skeptical view of the world around him. Past events, such as the passing of his beloved younger brother, Allie, have left him traumatized, and as a result, Holden faces the adult world with a cynical and bitter view, holding a tenacious grip on childhood and expressing distaste for anything that may corrupt what he perceives as childhood innocence. Later in the novel, Holden, while watching his younger sister reach for a golden ring on top of a carousel, realizes that his desire to preserve

In the beginning of the novel, Holden demonstrates a clear desire to preserve childhood innocence. When conversing with Phoebe about his future plans, Holden responds, “Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around-- nobody big, I mean--except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff” (Salinger 173). Holden’s perception of adulthood is apparent in the way he describes the cliff. The rye field symbolizes childhood, with children playing in a “big field of rye” where they are often too small to see beyond the tall field of rye. Catching children off the cliff is synonymous with protecting children from the adult world, which comes with a loss of innocence and the ability to see more hardship and despair, according to

Death is a major reason why he is dedicated to holding onto childhood innocence, as he cannot accept that children grow into adulthood only to end up dying. It is clear that Holden loves Allie very much, and he has a hard time accepting Allie’s death. As a result, he grows a desire to hold onto childhood because with growing up comes death. Finally, the pivotal moment in which Holden demonstrates maturity is when he watches his younger sister, Phoebe, ride on a carousel. He notices that “All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she'd fall off the goddam horse, but I didn't say anything or do anything. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them” (Salinger 211). The golden ring represents a dream or a goal that one longs to achieve. However, with this desire comes challenges, which are apparent when the children struggle to reach it, with a risk of falling off as they must climb up the carousel in order to reach