How Does Holden Present The Loss Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye

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. Holden remarks that Pencey kicked him out and he “wasn't

Holden keeps "picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all.” Thousands of little kids, and nobody big around except him. And he is “standing on the edge of some crazy cliff.” His job is “to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff”. If they're running and they don't look where they're going he will “come out from somewhere and catch them.” That's all he would do all day. He would just be “the catcher in the rye and all” (Salinger 173). Holden's desire is to preserve the innocence of children and their childhood. He wants to prevent the kids from falling over the cliff which is the transition to adulthood. Rast notes, “While the impracticality of his career ambitions points to an underlying psychological illness, the passage underscores Holden's desire to save others from experiencing similar anguish. On the other side of the "cliff" the phony world awaits. Having seen its horrors, having succumbed to its pressures, Holden naively hopes to prevent children from replicating his mistakes” (5). Rast thinks that Holden has come to possess a psychological illness because his desires are unrealistic and unlikely to be fulfilled. Holden wants to save the kids due to the fact that he struggles with finding a connection to the adult or “phony world”. Holden wants to prevent the children from making the same mistakes he made which he believes

Holden is a virgin, and he is very uncomfortable with the idea of sex. He sees sex as something that is dirty and corrupting, and he is repelled by the idea of losing his virginity. Holden reveals that he has “had quite a few opportunities to lose [his] virginity and all,” but he “never got around to it yet” (Salinger 92). Holden claims to have had many chances to lose his virginity but his attitude towards sex reflects his desire to hold onto his innocence. He sees sex as something that is corrupting and that it would taint his innocence. His fear of sexual intimacy is a sign of his reluctance to enter the adult world. Bloom concludes, “Thus, it is no surprise that Holden does not avail himself of Sunny's proffered services. For Holden, the entire scenario becomes lurid and intensely lonely” (6). Holden hires Sunny but after her arrival, Holden becomes uncomfortable with the situation and feels a sense of shame and disgust. He realizes that he is not ready for this kind of encounter and cannot go through with it, which is why he refuses Sunny's services. Holden's response to Sunny's offer is not surprising because he finds the whole situation unpleasant and