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What Is The Loss Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye

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As people grow up, sometimes they lose their innocence and become affected by the change that adulthood brings. There is a point in time between the stages of childhood and adulthood where a child loses his or hers innocence. In JD Salinger's’ Catcher in the Rye, a troubled teenager named Holden Caulfield struggles with the fact that everyone has to grow up. The book gets its title from Holden’s constant concern with the loss of innocence. He does not want children to grow up because he believes adults are corrupt. Salengers use of the museum, the graffiti in Phoebe's school, and the carousel to express that innocence cannot be protected forever. As Holden travels through New York, he visits the National History Museum. While he's there, …show more content…

As they get there, they see the carousel where Holden asks her if she wants to go for a ride. Phoebe replies that she's “too big” to go on (210). Holden immediately tells her that she's not and that she's going on. By Holden insisting that Phoebe goes on the carousel, it demonstrates his attempt to keep her young. While Phoebe is on the ride, he was “sort of afraid she'd fall off the goddamn horse” (211). He states that “if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them and…if they fall off, they fall off” (211). When Holden concludes that you just have to let a kid reach, even thought they might get hurt doing so, he’s admitting that growing up in life is indeed necessary. Ultimately, Holden accepts that there is no stopping adulthood. At the beginning of the novel, Holden believes that innocence can be preserved yet throughout the story, that thought begins to diminish. When he went to the museum, he first recognizes preserved purity is unattainable. On his next trip to Phoebe's school, the graffiti solidifies his fear that no matter where he goes, it'll be tainted by the adult world. Lastly as he's watching Phoebe on the carousel, the idea that sooner or later, innocence will be lost, sinks in. He becomes at peace with something he once dreaded. Through Holden's travels, he realizes innocence cannot be protected

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“If you do something too good, then, after a while, if you don’t watch it, you start showing off. And then your not as good anymore.” (Salinger 140) Holden hates how phony adults are, and how they are all acting a part. He will always take a dislike to his own childhood experiences, but he does everything he can to protect others from experiencing bad moments. Holden never had the childhood he dreamed of, and he holds onto the hope that he can provide innocence for Phoebe.

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Holden believes at this point that he can save everybody and control everybody to keep their innocence, but he does not realize that is not how the world works. He does eventually realize this when Phoebe rides the carousel and reaches for the gold ring. Holden was afraid that, “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”(232).

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Soha Tariq Ms. Mac ENG3U 6 March 2023 Holden Caulfield’s Psychoanalytic Examination One of the largest themes in Holden’s life is his inability to grow up. Throughout the book, many readers can tell that Holden lacks maturity, and is obviously afraid of adulthood. This can be portrayed by how Holden says, “The best thing, though, in that museum was the everything always stayed right where it was.” (Salinger, 121).

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Was Holden successful in his Journey This is an essay on whether or not Holden Caulfield is successful on his journey throughout the novel “The Catcher in the Rye” by Jerome David Salinger. This book shows how hard it can be for teenagers that are going from an adolescent to adulthood. Holden, who is sixteen years old, has been kicked out of several schools. Pencey Prep. was the latest.

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This is a symbol of the fact that innocence can’t forever be protected. Holden is very upset over the fact that innocence is being taken away in a

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If the book is read solely on its surface level, it just seems like a book about an annoying teenager who just complains about everything, but the messages it carries are actually profound. For example, near the end of the story Holden is upset by some profane graffiti on the wall at a museum that says “F*** you” (Salinger 224). He is upset by it because he is worried some little kids will see it and wonder what it means, and then be curious enough to find out adn have their innocence stolen. He finds the graffiti multiple times in the museum. The profane graffiti, if looked at beyond the surface level, symbolises the fact that Holden can not do anything to stop little kids from losing their innocence.

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Holden sees the children on the carousel reach for the gold ring. Even though he is afraid they will fall, he does nothing because “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). Holden realizes that children must take risks and make their own decisions to prepare them for adulthood.

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Holden is attracted to the carousel, because it represents a stagnation of his childhood as even the music being played was the “same song [that it played] about fifty years ago when I [he] was kid” (272). He does exaggerate his age, as he’s only seventeen years old, which is an extremely important distinction between him and childhood self. Why? Although Phoebe is first hesitant on riding the carousel, as she portrays it for little kids, she gives into Holden’s encouragement and goes on the carousel. Holden also rejects Phoebe’s offer that he should ride the carousel, to instead just watch her and the carousel move.

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“Innocence is always unsuspicious”- Joseph Joubert The loss of innocence isn’t some big celebration when you hit a certain age, or have a certain experience, it is something that comes when you aren’t looking. J.D. Salinger was a man who kept to himself, didn’t offer many interviews, and wanted to make a difference. In this novel, he has woven the story of Holden Caulfield a sixteen year old, who has an adventure in New York City before going home and taking responsibility for his actions that fall. Throughout his time in the city, he matures and learns to look at the big picture.

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Holden struggles with growing up and facing reality. There are many examples of Holden’s immaturity that are displayed in many forms such as facing responsibilities, his speech, his actions, and etc. Holden’s outlook on adult life is that it is superficial and brimming with phonies, but childhood was all about looking pleasing and innocent. He wants everything to stay the same and for time to stop. As Holden progresses in age, he will discover more about becoming mature in the

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A. Allie’s death causes Holden to become obsessed with death and this obsession makes him believe that growing up and becoming a “phonie” is like dying; this belief that is planted inside Holden’s head when Allie died is what sends him on a quest to preserve children’s innocence and save them from the “death” of growing up. B. Salinger includes the traumatic story of Allies death that happened years in advance to provide an explanation for Holden’s obsession with death and how he sees loss of innocence as equivalent to dying. Allie died with his innocence still intact, so Holden does not want other children to grow up and have their innocence “die”. C. Holden even admits to being mentally unstable after his brother’s traumatic death when he says, “I was only 13, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all

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The ending chapter of the novel Holden finds the loss of innocence he’s been searching for. When Phoebe is riding the carousel and she reaches for the ring, it represents maturing. Phoebe is a symbol for youth and innocence, and she is reaching for maturity. Holden’s struggles during the novel, “The Catcher In The Rye,” he figures out the true loss of innocence lost in becoming an adult and the struggle to be one and Holden struggling to be the catcher in the rye to catch kids from losing adulthood. His relationship struggles are his key factors which makes Holden who he truly

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Catcher in the Rye In the book Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, the narrator and protagonist Holden Caulfield a sixteen year old junior undergoes a series of changes. Holden learns multiple life changing lessons; one of them is you must grow up. In the beginning of the novel, Holden starts out as “that kid”; the one with the parents who expect him to get into an ivy league school, and end up with a kid with no intentions of doing so. At the beginning of the book it is very apparent that Holden lacks motivation; he also has hit rock bottom.

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“ you have to go back to school, you want to be in this play, no I want to stay here, no you don't you're going back to school”(269). This is sort of contradictory to holden earlier in the novel, because he left school and now he is telling phoebe to go back to school. This shows a reformation from earlier in the novel, because he wants what’s best for phoebe not that he wants to see her but wants her to have a better life. In the carousel scene holden wants to help phoebe not fall off but comes to the realization that she is going to grow up hence when he says if they fall let them fall. Holden wants to be the catcher in the rye and now he wants to let them fall....

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While many argue that Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye does not deviate from the traditional anti-hero attributes and, therefore, does not display any prominent change, an argument can be made to the contrary. Holden Caulfield goes through some noticeable character development and is in a better place emotionally at the end of the book because he speaks with Phoebe. His meeting with Phoebe and Phoebe’s message to him shows him a youth’s perspective on his world, rather than the superficial sincerity of his elderly professor and his favorite teacher that makes advances on him. Additionally, him being able to successfully communicate with a member of his own family puts him in a better place. His time with her lets him see his own self-image of a “catcher in the rye.”

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