Similarities Between Holden Caulfield And Catcher In The Rye

I think that in some ways, I am similar to Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye. For one thing, we both like hunting hats with the long peaks. But more importantly, we both believe that adulthood and becoming more mature means acting more suave, being able to drink as well as just acting all fancy. However, growing up may not be all that is cracked up to be, as one must face all of the real world that often includes rude awakens which may kill the child inside of us. In the texts, the young people face a number of realities that force them to mature, such as, the true nature of people, how love can be faked as well as experiencing death and loss. This demonstrates that confronting the reality …show more content…
A prime example of innocence being destroyed due to this reality is in Lord of the Flies, the boys cry at the end of their time on the island as they finally realize what they have done to each other. By the end of the novel, Ralph has lost his innocence, as his view that everyone in society is civilized and good is shattered by the actions of his fellow castaways. His loss is expressed through this quote: “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of a man’s heart and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy” (p. 202). Ralph is no longer ignorant to the fact that people are truly good as he sees that without the rules of society, humans are capable to regressing into savagery. He is confronted by the “darkness of a man’s heart”, as he recounts the atrocious acts that Jack performs throughout the novel, such as organizing a manhunt to find Ralph. He, as well as the rest of the boys can longer be innocent after facing the true nature of man. Ralph cannot continue to be a child in society as he has experienced first-hand what lies underneath the civilized exterior of people, he knows that within all of us is the Beast, so because of this forceful confrontation, the boy must mature and shed his innocent views on people and society. Moreover, another example of innocence being destroyed due to the true intentions of people is in The Catcher in the Rye. Holden Caulfield is constantly around people who he calls phonies. For example, he perceives his teacher, Mr. Spencer, as being a phony while interacting with the principal of Pencey. Also, he blames the evilness of phonies for the death of his roommate, James Castle. Because of these experiences with people being ingenuine and mean to each other, Holden can no longer view