Holden's Innocence in The Catcher in the Rye

The years between childhood and adulthood are a time for renewal and self-discovery, the time for us to shed our innocent eyes and enter the blurry and uncertain path that will take us into the world of adulthood. This transition period can be frightening and confusing, a journey as such being most accurately described by the novel, “Catcher in the Rye” by JD. Salinger, a story about a teenager named Holden Caulfield. Holden has a tough time coming to terms with the fact that he must enter the adult world, as previous experiences have taught him that it is a cruel and unforgiving place.

He had to shed his innocence much too soon and this has started to warp his mind into a place that holds innocence above all others. His attempts to preserve the innocence of others reflect his desire to stay out of the adult world for as long as possible, which is symbolized by his red hunting hat, his reverence for the character Jane Gallagher, and his interactions with others.

Holden is someone that will use anything to prevent himself from entering the adult world, one of those things being his red hunting hat. Holden uses it much like a child playing dress up would, pretending to be someone else to avoid the harshness of the real world, such as when Ackley is in his room and Holden annoyed with him for going through his Stuff He pulls his hat over his eyes and says, “ “I think I’m going blind,” I said“ “Mother darling, everything‘s getting so dark in here.

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Holden is portrayed as being nonchalant aboutAckley going through his things, when it really bothers him because of how private his things are He decides to act as though he is unbothered by pretending to go blind ln Holden’s mind, he cannot see someone touching his personal things, and therefore is not affected by Ackley looking through his possessions.

His red hunting hat is his shield from the unpleasantries of the world and helps to protect his childlike mentality. Holden holds the innocence of others above all else, and none more so than the character Jane Gallagher. Jane is the childhood friend of Holden who he believes is the perfect girl, which is why we are never introduced to her, although it is clear that he wants to see her. Whenever he wants to call her, he thinks of excuses such as, “Then I thought of giving Jane Gallagher’s mother a buzz,… Besides, it was pretty late to call up”. Whenever he finds his thoughts straying to Jane, he subconsciously creates excuses to refrain from contacting her, He fears deep down that she will be completely changed from the romanticized image of her as a child, so he continues to deny himself the pleasure of contacting her. He wants to preserve her innocence by keeping her from meeting him since he is no longer innocent to the cruelty of the adult world. He believes that she is still innocent, and he wants to make sure that she stays that way, even at the cost of his own happiness.

Holden has a certain way of interacting with other people to make sure that he is isolated so as to preserve their innocence. Even with a prostitute, he wanted for a night, he can’t make himself enjoy her because of how young she was. Instead of being aroused when she tries to seduce him, he thinks to himself, “Sexy was about the last thing I was feeling. I felt much more depressed than sexy”(95). He seems to have the opposite reaction to what you would expect him to have. The fact that she is so young and a prostitute makes him sad because he realizes that she also lost her innocence much too young. She was forced to sell herself at a young age, thus losing any innocence she had as a child. Even knowing all this, he cannot bring himself to do anything with her because he clings to the hope that she still has some innocence left in her and he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he took even a little of it away.

Holden can’t stand the idea of being an adult, so he shields himself and others that are at risk of losing their innocence too young. In his mind, he is protecting them from a life that is too cruel and brutal to be experienced by those unprepared. He believes, almost religiously, that everyone should have a chance to grow up on their own time without being thrust into a life that they’re not ready ion. This plot really resonates with the youth of America, both then and now. Many teenagers are having responsibilities thrust upon them at young ages, which takes away their chance to mature properly before having to enter the adult world. They feel his struggle to come to terms with growing up too soon, an issue that will no doubt continue to be felt with the youth of America for generations to come.