Holden Caulfield Innocence

S. N. Behrman discusses how Holden Caulfield’s difficulties with the people around him are comical although that is not his intent. Behrman classifies Holden’s interactions with others as a result of his innocent mindset. He brings into focus that Holden becomes attached to things that make him feel safe, such as the red cap, Allie’s mitt, and the record he bought for Phoebe. This parallels how Holden refuses to let go of his childhood innocence even though he is quickly approaching adulthood. Behrman also highlights Holden’s trip to the Museum of Natural History and his soliloquy about how the museum never changes, but the visitor does. This is interpreted as a revelation of Holden’s inability to adapt to these changes. The museum reveals …show more content…
This based on the idea of Holden being the “Catcher in the Rye”. Holden is described as “the protector and savior of innocence”. But Baumbach notes that Holden is still a child running through the rye and he has no one to catch him. To become the catcher, Holden must mature and leave childhood behind him. Salinger uses Holden’s distaste towards the corruption of adulthood (using words like “phony”) as a revelation of Holden resisting growing up. According to Baumbach, Holden is successful at being the “Catcher in the Rye” when he removes an expletive from the wall of a primary school. By doing this, Holden protects the minds of children from corruption at an early age. The fault in this action is that Holden cannot erase every expletive, and therefore he cannot protect every child. Phoebe, a ten-year old girl, “becomes his catcher” instead of an adult like Mr. Antolini as Holden expected. At the end of the novel when Phoebe is on the carousel, she is “unchanging, forever safe, forever loving, forever innocent”. Because Holden encouraged Phoebe to ride the carousel, he was once again successful at being a catcher. She is safe from the curses of adulthood that Holden