Symbolism In Catcher In The Rye

In J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye children are a symbol of innocence. Throughout our world, children have been used or seen as a symbol of innocence. From being free of moral wrongdoing to having a lack of knowledge the word innocence means different things and it has a different connotation depending on the context it is used in. In The Catcher in the Rye the innocence of children, in its multitude of manors, is displayed through the actions of Holden, Phoebe, and other actions in the novel. In the novel Phoebe, Holden’s younger sister, is a symbol of innocence. Holden describes Phoebe, “She was laying there asleep, with her face sort of on the side of the pillow. -. It’s funny. You take adults, they look lousy when they’re

Holden says,“She’s very neat, for a child. I mean she doesn’t just throw her stuff around, like some kids. She’s no slob” (176). Though Holden views Phoebe as innocent and she is significantly younger than him, he admires her. To him she is everything that he is not. Because children are seen as innocent it is often thought that they lack skills that older people have, such as organization skills. Holden’s comparison between his sister and himself exemplifies that. Holden is reading through one of Phoebe’s many notebooks, “-Please pass to Shirley!!!! Shirley you said you were sagittarius but your only taurus bring your skates when you come over to my house” (178). It is not that Phoebe is naive, she is just pure of moral

Holden meets a blonde in the Lavender Room, and she asks Holden how old he is, “Oh, Christ. Don’t spoil it,” I said. “I’m twelve, for Chrissake. I’m big for my age.” “Listen. -. If you’re gonna use that type language, I can go sit down with my girl friends, you know” (81). The Lavender Room is Holden’s first experience with adulthood, and it does not go over well for him, making him realize the adult life is scarier than it seems and will only get worse. The loss of hope for himself and other children furthers his desire to be the “catcher in the rye”. Holden is describing how awful Ernie’s is, when he says, “There wasn’t anything to do except smoke and drink” (96). Going to Ernie’s is Holden’s second experience with adulthood. With Holden still being a child he has yet to understand the responsibilities that come along with adulthood, such as smoking and drinking. Holden is seeking comfort in depressants as if he is an adult. Holden is offered a prostitute by a pimp, he accepts but later realizes he is making a huge mistake, “I don’t feel very much like myself tonight. I have had a rough night. Honest to God. I’ll pay you and all, but do you mind very much if we don’t do it?” (107). Holden’s experience with adulthood at the Edmont Hotel is considerably the most difficult time he had in the novel. Later in chapter thirteen, Holden