How Is Holden Caulfield Responsible For Protecting Children

In “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, the main character, Holden Caulfield, feels very responsible for protecting children. One of the motivators for his need to protect kids stems from the loss of his little brother, Allie. His brother’s death affected him strongly, and he always viewed the rest of his siblings much more protectively afterward. He says in the book he has been motivated by a quote that he thought said “a body catches a body going through the rye” and he imagined himself “catching” the kids in the rye and protecting them. While he might not have had the quote completely right, even after his younger sister corrected him, his values stayed the same. Holden wants to feel closure for his own difficult childhood by “protecting”
Holden used to be very close to a girl named Jane Gallagher, and she has had a bit of a rough life, including having an alcoholic stepdad. Holden’s roommate, Ward Stradlater, is an athletic guy, and really popular, especially with girls. Holden thinks he is phony, and he hates phony people, so when he finds out that Stradlater is going on a date with Jane, he doesn’t know how to feel. He starts acting strangely, and tells Stradlater about how they used to play checkers together. Stradlater goes on the date, and when he returns, Holden grills him about it and asks how it was and what happened. Holden has had a bit of a crush on Jane, but he never really kissed her when they were very close, even though he got very close. Because of this, he views her as a very innocent girl, so when he finds out that she and Stradlater were alone in one of the coaches' cars, he gets angry. Because of the sudden realization that Jane isn’t who he thought she was, he feels the need to blame her loss of innocence on something other than her. He instigates a fight with his roommate by throwing a punch and missing, causing Stradlater to pin him on the floor with his knees. He knows that Stradlater hates being called dumb, and he knows he has an
Holden is staying in a sketchy hotel, and in the elevator a man named Maurice asks Holden if “he’s looking for a good time,” and Holden says yes. He is at a very vulnerable spot in his life, and he wants to feel something. He is feeling upset about how he is “yellow” and has never cared much about losing things. He feels very depressed and just heads to his room, and gets ready for the prostitute to come to his room. He is a virgin, and feels insecure about that because he has had the chance to change that, but he wants to care about the girl he is with and wants her to want it too. Soon, a teenage girl comes to his room, sent by Maurice. She introduces herself as “Sunny.” Holden decides all he wants to do is talk, and he tells her he will still pay her. He just talks to her for a while, but he only tells her lies. His lying about his name and everything he is telling her is because he feels uncomfortable about what she does and wants to believe it is as real as his phony story. He can tell she is young, and doesn’t want to face the truth that she is real and has lost her innocence and childhood. He pays her the agreed price of five dollars, she asks for ten instead. He refuses to give her the extra money because he doesn’t want to support the scam she is running,