Catcher In the Rye
Innocence: A Virtue That Needs to be Preserved
In life everyone goes through hard times. In JD Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, the main character, is a prime example of going through troubles in his life and getting into trouble. People usually have a friend or family member going through hard times with them, but when Holden gets kicked out of his school, more of lack of trying than intelligence, he travels to New York City and has to face the world on his own. After the death of his little brother, Allie, Holden had to grow up quickly. He has too understand the feelings of loss and sadness early in his life. The loss of his brother hurt him so he wants to make sure that the innocent children of the world get to enjoy their childhood. He had to go through hard times early in his life, and he would not want other children to have to go through that burden. Holden believes he is ready to grow up, but he believes that adults are “phonies”.
Salinger shows the complexity of the world with Holden’s little sister, Phoebe, explicit language with graffiti, and the symbolism of Holden’s catcher in the rye dream.
Growing up is a hard thing to do; and the adult world is hard to navigate especially when you’re not ready to face it on your own. He tries to protect the children of the world from change. This spills over onto his little sister, Phoebe, who he loves very much. He loves Phoebe so much that he doesn’t want her to change at all. Since Holden has been away at school, and he does not see her very often, he misses her. After a few days of being back in New York City, Holden sneaks into his house to see his sister for the first time in quite a while. When they are talking he says, “’Who gave you that haircut?’ I asked her. I just noticed what a stupid haircut somebody gave her. It was way too short” (Salinger, 167). He mentions earlier that he likes how Phoebe stays the same. He cannot wrap his head around change, because it just proves
In life everyone goes through hard times. In JD Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, the main character, is a prime example of going through troubles in his life and getting into trouble. People usually have a friend or family member going through hard times with them, but when Holden gets kicked out of his school, more of lack of trying than intelligence, he travels to New York City and has to face the world on his own. After the death of his little brother, Allie, Holden had to grow up quickly. He has too understand the feelings of loss and sadness early in his life. The loss of his brother hurt him so he wants to make sure that the innocent children of the world get to enjoy their childhood. He had to go through hard times early in his life, and he would not want other children to have to go through that burden. Holden believes he is ready to grow up, but he believes that adults are “phonies”.
Salinger shows the complexity of the world with Holden’s little sister, Phoebe, explicit language with graffiti, and the symbolism of Holden’s catcher in the rye dream.
Growing up is a hard thing to do; and the adult world is hard to navigate especially when you’re not ready to face it on your own. He tries to protect the children of the world from change. This spills over onto his little sister, Phoebe, who he loves very much. He loves Phoebe so much that he doesn’t want her to change at all. Since Holden has been away at school, and he does not see her very often, he misses her. After a few days of being back in New York City, Holden sneaks into his house to see his sister for the first time in quite a while. When they are talking he says, “’Who gave you that haircut?’ I asked her. I just noticed what a stupid haircut somebody gave her. It was way too short” (Salinger, 167). He mentions earlier that he likes how Phoebe stays the same. He cannot wrap his head around change, because it just proves