Innocence doesn't last
How old can kids be and still be considered innocent? In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, which is narrated by Holden, takes the reader through his life as a junior as he gets kicked out of his private school Pencey. Holden decides that he no longer needs school. Holden wants to move far away from the city where no one knows him. Before holden leaves he stays in the city for four days. During these four days he learns something important about what he wants to do with his life. He realizes that kids are being corrupted to early in their lives. Holden refuses to accept the fact that he has lost his innocence but throughout the story comes to accept that holding on to your innocence forever is inevitable. …show more content…
All holden memories of the museum were coming back to him as he stood outside. "Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone. I know that's impossible, but it's too bad anyways" (Salinger 122). The museum reminds him of the time when he was little. He admired the fact that the museum never changed but he knew he did. He refused to enter the museum because he realizes that he isn't the same anymore but refuses to accept that he is no longer the innocent little boy that used to visit that museum. He wants to be able to conserve everything forever as he mentions in the quote. Holden doesn't like change but knows that there is nothing that he can do about it. He can't stop change from happening. Holden doesn't want to lose his innocence but he begins to understand that keeping innocence isn't as easy at it …show more content…
The profanity is written all throughout the school . Holden was rubbing all the profanity on the walls but there was too many to erase. “Somebody'd written 'Fuck you' on the wall. I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see If you had a million years to do it in, you couldn't rub out even half the 'Fuck you' signs in the world” (Salinger 201) Holden doesn't like that young kids are being exposed to those kinds of words early on. He wanted to do whatever he could to prevent kids losing their innocence. He realizes that stopping kids from being corrupted may not be possible but he don't want to accept the fact that you can't avoid children from losing their innocence. He starts to realize that maybe the loss of innocence is a natural thing. He doesn't want to believe that yet but he takes it into consideration when he sees that it is impossible to get all the profanity off the walls. Holden is starting to recognizes the fact that he can't stop himself from getting his innocence corrupted just like erasing the profanity off the walls would not stop the children from losing their innocence
How old can kids be and still be considered innocent? In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, which is narrated by Holden, takes the reader through his life as a junior as he gets kicked out of his private school Pencey. Holden decides that he no longer needs school. Holden wants to move far away from the city where no one knows him. Before holden leaves he stays in the city for four days. During these four days he learns something important about what he wants to do with his life. He realizes that kids are being corrupted to early in their lives. Holden refuses to accept the fact that he has lost his innocence but throughout the story comes to accept that holding on to your innocence forever is inevitable. …show more content…
All holden memories of the museum were coming back to him as he stood outside. "Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone. I know that's impossible, but it's too bad anyways" (Salinger 122). The museum reminds him of the time when he was little. He admired the fact that the museum never changed but he knew he did. He refused to enter the museum because he realizes that he isn't the same anymore but refuses to accept that he is no longer the innocent little boy that used to visit that museum. He wants to be able to conserve everything forever as he mentions in the quote. Holden doesn't like change but knows that there is nothing that he can do about it. He can't stop change from happening. Holden doesn't want to lose his innocence but he begins to understand that keeping innocence isn't as easy at it …show more content…
The profanity is written all throughout the school . Holden was rubbing all the profanity on the walls but there was too many to erase. “Somebody'd written 'Fuck you' on the wall. I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see If you had a million years to do it in, you couldn't rub out even half the 'Fuck you' signs in the world” (Salinger 201) Holden doesn't like that young kids are being exposed to those kinds of words early on. He wanted to do whatever he could to prevent kids losing their innocence. He realizes that stopping kids from being corrupted may not be possible but he don't want to accept the fact that you can't avoid children from losing their innocence. He starts to realize that maybe the loss of innocence is a natural thing. He doesn't want to believe that yet but he takes it into consideration when he sees that it is impossible to get all the profanity off the walls. Holden is starting to recognizes the fact that he can't stop himself from getting his innocence corrupted just like erasing the profanity off the walls would not stop the children from losing their innocence