Nostalgia and the Longing for Innocence in The Catcher in the Rye Essay Example

Everyone knows the story of Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up. Peter Pan and the Lost Boys are the true meaning of maintaining childhood and never reaching the life of maturity. They live on an island of paradise with each other where they never have to deal with the concept of adulthood. Holden longs to be a lost boy. He longs to never grow up. Unfortunately, Peter Pan is merely an unobtainable fantasy from a children’s story. In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield is portrayed as a young adult unable to let go of his innocence and mature. The author, J.D. Salinger creates and expresses the fear an individual may have of not surviving the transition from childhood to adulthood. The character Salinger writes is depicted as a person obsessed with the ideals of innocence, firmly believing it as the only way of saving himself and those around him. 

At the beginning of the novel, Holden Caulfield is introduced as the narrator and a boy who has a strong dislike for “phoniness” and all people who are “phony.” Although the majority of the characters in Holden’s life are regarded as “phony,” there are two who are not regarded as such: Holden’s deceased younger brother, Allie, and his younger sister, Phoebe. At first, we may believe that Holden thinks these two characters are not phony because they are his siblings. However, we later realize that Holden’s accusation of “phoniness” comes from those acting hypocritically to fit into society. In short, Holden despises others due to their actions being mature. As a result, Holden finds Allie and Phoebe honest and real because they still have innocence and an embracing of childhood. His dislike of phonies sparks his fear of growing up to be a full-fledged adult. He believes that becoming a responsible adult and parent figure to Phoebe will mean his inability to live honestly in a corrupt world. When Holden says to Phoebe, “I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in the big field of rye and all… And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everyone if they start to go over the cliff” (Salinger, 224). He does not want others, specifically children, to grow up and add on to an already flawed world. Holden longs for innocence to thrive as it is the only real component of a person. The immaculate analogy of the cliff and the field brings out of J.D. Salinger’s portrayal of an individual entirely fixated on adulthood.

The fear of losing innocence is repeatedly exposed in the author’s descriptions of sex, particularly in the eyes of a character stuck between being a child and an adult. Holden’s confusion and obsessions with sex may have contributed from his age and those around him. Thus, the topic of sex may be sensitive to him, even though he is interested in having sex. To add to this, another part of Holden’s interest in sex is how he has the knowledge and plans to lose his virginity, but once faced with the opportunity to engage in sexual activity, Holden has second thoughts and backs down. “The trouble was, I just didn't want to do it. I felt more depressed than sexy, if you want to know the truth. She was depressing” (Salinger 125). This introduces a crucial part of Holden’s refusal to grow up. Holden Caulfield understands that sex is a way of maturing, and because of his fear is step into the vast world of adulthood, which he views as negative, he decides against it in the end. He instead tries to strike a conversation with Sunny, and makes up a ridiculous excuse about having surgery. Holden Caulfield’s confusion with sex demonstrates an important part of his reluctance to part with his innocence. As a young adult stuck in the middle of the timeline and process of maturity, and thus orchestrates a conflicted dynamic.

In addition to this is Holden is someone who feels the burden of helping both himself and his sister. Holden adores Phoebe and therefore does not want her to end up like him. He thinks he understands the destruction that maturing can bring, so he tries to make sure Phoebe holds onto her childhood as long as possible. “‘You can’t take anything. Because you’re not going. I’m going alone…’ ‘Please, Holden. Please let me go…’ ‘You’re not going. Now shut up’” (Salinger, 267). This may have come out as cold and heartless, but Holden does not want Phoebe to end up like him: a half-mature, half-immature, damaged kid. Thus, he tries to help Phoebe in the best way he can and to protect her innocence. It shows that going by himself shows the end of his childhood and moving on towards the road of maturity. Towards the end of the story, you begin to emphasize with Holden and understand the struggles of grief that have led to his regarding of preserving childhood. The author also implies that in some moments in our lives, one may face the loss of innocence, which may significantly impact one’s life. 

In conclusion, an important theme in The Catcher in the Rye is the importance of childhood. J.D. Salinger presents Holden as someone trying to save children from a cliff, which symbolically represents saving younger people from entering the cliff of adulthood. Salinger brings out the representing of a boy’s honest perspective of the world. Overall, the book indirectly shows how the innocence of childhood is precious time for the main character as well as all humans. Salinger indirectly states that everyone must grow up at some point in their life, sooner or later.