Catcher in the Rye Theme Analysis The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger follows Holden Caulfield, a sixteen year old boy who was just flunked out of Pencey Prep, around New York City. The reader learns about his deep hatred for adults because they are all phonies and his love of kids because they remind him of innocence and make him “less depressed”. Throughout the book, Holden is secluded and desperate for some kind of connection, and can only seem to connect with little kids. Salinger uses flashbacks, allusions, and idioms to develop the theme of needing to protect the innocence of the youth, so the reader can understand why children are the only people who are not “phonies” in Holden’s eyes. Holden’s strongest connection to another
