Catcher And The Rye Innocence Essay

, Research Paper

There is a time in a person s existence when they loose their innocence. No longer are they sheltered from the harsh outside world, they are a part of it. They are now corrupt. A process that engulfs all and is only stopped by death. These are the thoughts of Holden Cauffield right before he has a mental breakdown. Holden adores innocence and how only the young are subject to it. In Holden s mind there are three people in particular Holden knows who are the epitome of innocence. These people are Phoebe, Holden s younger sister, Jane, Holden s friend from summer, and Allie, Holden s younger brother that has passed away.

Phoebe, who Holden loves very much, has always appeared innocent to Holden. Holden is very attached to Phoebe and would do anything in his power to save her from the corrupt world that he has succumbed to. The thing that Holden does not realize is that innocence is not forever. It is only a matter of time before one becomes corrupt. Holden believes that if he shelters Phoebe that she will remain innocent. Misguided by it s connotation, Holden remembers the poem The Catcher in the Rye . Holden sees himself as a catcher in a field of rye preventing frolicking children from falling off a cliff. In Holden s mind the field

of rye is childhood innocence and the unknown past the cliff is the corrupt side of the world.