The Importance Of Innocence In The Catcher In The Rye

If They Fall Off, They Fall Off J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, follows Holden Caulfield on his coming-of-age journey as he struggles with a fear of adulthood and makes futile attempts to protect children’s innocence. While there are moments of clarity for him, there is one pivotal moment that changes the psychological fabric of Holden’s mind and further illustrates one of the themes of the novel. This moment is shown through the carousel scene near the novel’s end. Before going through the transformative changes, he starts off as an immature young man without a grip on reality and lacking discretion. Holden Caulfield enters The Catcher in the Rye as an admittedly immature-at-times, aloof sixteen year old who is watching the big football game alone on a

It is the one thing that reflects Holden’s values and motivations. His fixation on innocence is illustrated through his dreams, actions, and the people he cherishes: Phoebe, gone-too-soon Allie, schoolkids, and sweet Jane. The title itself indicates how dominating the theme is in the novel and in Holden’s life. That theme of innocence takes a drastic turn after the carousel scene. All Holden had dreamed of was being the “catcher in the rye” where he would watch over the children playing in a beautiful field, and catch them if they came too close to the edge of the cliff. That all changes with Holden’s attitude shift as he is watching Phoebe during the pivotal carousel scene. Finally, he comes to the realization that children, Phoebe included, have to be allowed to take risks if they choose. Innocence as a theme is furthered by the scene because it shows a development in Holden’s view of the subject. He sees that the loss of innocence is unavoidable, and you have to let children grow up regardless of how distasteful adulthood is. After this shift in Holden, it can be assumed that his motivations and values also take a shift in a better