Catcher In The Rye Loss Of Innocence

If one word were to sum up the existence of Salinger's iconic character, Holden Claufeild from The Catcher in the Rye it would be loss. Holden experiences one loss after another, from the loss of his younger brother Allie, and therefore the his childhood innocence, to the loss of a positive perspective on the world and an ability to believe in those around him. If one message were to be taken from the tragic and sometimes stagnant, exploits of Holden it would be that growing up and the loss of childhood innocence leads to depression and the world consists of phony people. This message can be seen in the long term emotional damage suffered by Holden through the loss of his brother Allie. Additional portrayal can be seen by the correlation between Holden's more generically adult hedonistic pursuits and the depression he feels afterward. Finally, further depiction can be seen it that there resides great "phoniness" and hypocrisy in the people Holden meets. …show more content…
The depression Holden feels at this loss of innocence can be seen in the following quote, "So once in a while, now, when I get very depressed, I keep saying to him, "'okay go home and get your bike and meet me in front of Bobby's house'" (Salinger 99). The guilt and depression Holden feels when thinking about leaving his brother to spend time with his friend, a normal and acceptable occurrence among siblings, alludes to the lasting emotional damage that resides in him due to the loss of his brother. Though this loss of innocence most predominantly effects Holden, Holden has additional experiences with the loss of