Catcher In The Rye Innocence Essay - 1229 Words

Raina Hill Mr. Chilton English 9 - D Band October 26, 2017 Lost in the Rye Many teenagers struggle with the concept of self-identity and growing up. Troubled 16-year old Holden, from the Catcher in the Rye, is no exception. The Catcher in the Rye follows the story of Holden and his journey to adulthood. To Holden, this adulthood is a world full of lies and phoniness. Due to his lack of interest in the world of growing up, Holden is a character who seeks to find the innocence in others and is a strong believer of staying young and preserving yourself. In the Catcher in the Rye, J.D Salinger argues that as you come of age, innocence is replaced by the hardships of†¦show more content†¦Despite him constantly depicting pictures of kids preserving their innocence, Holden was far from innocent. Holden was coming of age, a task he did not enjoy at that. During his stay in the hotel in New York City, Holden sees a man and a woman squirting water, or possibly highballs, on each other and he takes the moment to inform the reader about his thoughts on the sce ne. The text says, â€Å"In my mind, I’m probably the biggest sex maniac you ever saw. Sometimes, I can think of very crumby stuff I wouldn’t mind doing if the opportunity came up† (81). These are not innocent thoughts or thoughts that a child would have. Which only further shows that Holden is no longer innocent and does not share pure, gentle, angelic thoughts. Holden does not like these thoughts and he tries many times to contradict them however it is apart of growing up that one cannot change. Furthermore, when first coming back to New York City, Holden asks the cab driver, â€Å"You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? That little lake? By any chance, do you happen to know where, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over? Do you happen to know, by any chance?† (78). This exemplifies that Holden uses the ducks to symbolize his sense of youth like curiosity and interest in things. Holden takes special notice to things that other s, especially adults, might skip over and asks questions. Someone who would want to be perceived as an adult, who are of the wiser and know all the answers,Show MoreRelatedPreservation of Innocence In The Catcher in the Rye Essay545 Words   |  3 Pagesthe reader. In The Catcher in the Rye, there are several themes that can be found in the words and actions of the narrator, Holden Caulfield. The dominating theme in this novel is the preservation of innocence, especially of children. We can see this throughout the novel, as Holden strives to preserve innocence in himself and others. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s outlook in life is either the innocence of childhood or the cruelty of adulthood. He believes that the innocence of childhood isRead More Innocence in The Catcher in The Rye Essay851 Words   |  4 Pages In The Catcher in The Rye, by J.D, the main character, Holden, can be seen as a troubled teenager growing up in a less than perfect society. Throughout the novel Holden struggles with the fact that many young and innocent kids will grow up and see the world from a different perspective. He naturally becomes worried for all future generations who will one day grow, as he did, and loose their innocence. The fixation of youth and innocence can be seen in the title of the book, as well as throughoutRead MoreCatcher In The Rye Innocence Essay1870 Words   |  8 PagesThe Catcher in the Rye, it recalls the story by the narration of a rebellious teenage by the name of Holden Caulfield who is struggling with coming to terms with becoming an adult. After being flunked out of the fourth school and not getting the closure of his younger brother Allie’s death, who has been dead for 3 years, he decides to hang around New York City before heading back home of his on accords. As the title s tates and how he imagines himself later in the story, Holden is the â€Å"catcher† ofRead MoreEssay on The Death of Innocence in The Catcher in the Rye1156 Words   |  5 Pages   Ã‚   Holden identifies with, yearns for, and despises traits of the adult and child realms. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, fears becoming an adult who exhibits the characteristics that he holds complaints against. Throughout this Bildungsroman narrative, Holden searches for his identity. He tries to figure out his place either in the adult or child realm. Holden possesses a combination of fear and hatred for phonies. Holden usesRead MoreEssay on The Theme of Innocence in The Catcher In the Rye996 Words   |  4 Pagesstory. In The Catcher In the Rye, Holden says that his dream job would to be the catcher in rye. This is significant to the story because of how Holden feels that adults are trying to ruin the innocence of children, and how he can be the one that saves them. Holden then realizes he cannot always be the one to save the children. This is show throughout the book but especially in the scene where Holden takes Phoebe to the carousel.This shows that Holden wants to be the catcher in the rye so that he canRead MoreCatcher in the Rye Essay: The Innocence of Holden897 Words   |  4 Pages The Innocence of Holden in The Catcher in the Rye nbsp; In J. D. Salingers novel The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, spends several days wandering around New York. During this time, he learns many things about himself. He seems to have some sort of mental problem, but this problem fortunately begins to be less serious by the end of the story. But more interesting that the things he knows about himself are the things he does not know about himself. Holden is constantlyRead MoreInnocence in The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger Essay888 Words   |  4 Pagespurist times in a person’s life is childhood, during this time life is easy and often romanticized. As a person grows older the innocence and naivety of childhood begins to fade into a hardness caused by the harsh realties of adulthood. Though the transition from childhood is hard, one most remember not to rush into adulthood savor your innocence . In Catcher In the Rye , by J.D. Salinger the main character Holden Caulfield is in the transitional stage, he finds it hard for him to grow-up and actRead More Innocence In The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger Essay examples1412 Words   |  6 Pages In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher In The Rye, Holden Caulfield, a seventeen-year-old boy, transitions from childhood to adulthood. The death of Holden’s little brother signifies the beginning his loss of innocence and growth of maturity. As he enters adulthood, Holden views society differently from his peers by characterizing most of his peers and adults he meets as â€Å"phonies.† Thus, Holden takes the impossible challenge of preserving the innocence in children because he wants to prevent childrenRead MoreEssay about From Innocence to Adulthood in The Catcher in the Rye2367 Words   |  10 PagesFrom Innocence to Adulthood in The Catcher in the Rye      Ã‚   Adolescence is a time of existence in two worlds. One world having the desire to be in the adult world, which is filled with all the unknown wonders of the world. The other world is the world of childhood which is comfortable and protected from all the impurities in the world.   This sort of tug of war between the two worlds is not only mentally imposed on a being, but physically, socially, and morally as wellRead MoreHolden Caulfield s The Catcher Of The Rye824 Words   |  4 PagesThe Catcher in the Rye Symbolism Essay J.D Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, is the story of Holden Caulfield’s loss of faith in society, and in particular adults. Salinger uses a number of symbols to demonstrate Holden’s rebellion against the phony facade of society and his desire to preserve the innocence of children, especially those he loves. Chief among them is Holden’s misinterpretation of Robert Burns’ poem â€Å"Comin thro’ the Rye†, wherein Holden mistakes the original line, â€Å"If a body meet a