Life is Change In the late 1940s it was popular and expected to act look and live and exclusive elegant life. Anyone who could not conform to a luxurious lifestyle was excluded from Social Circles and ostracized from communities as they could not meet the social expectations. People of wealth and high status were highly respected and privileged. It was not expected for anyone amongst this highly praised group of people to completely reject the idea of wealth and high stature. However, Holden Caulfield is able to recognize the corrupt moral values of the society he lives in. He views luxury as artificial an associates it with maturity which he is strongly opposed to. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger demonstrates the deterioration of
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These views help him differentiate from the society around him. Through his naive desire to preserve innocence he displays his own immaturity. Holden demonstrates this desire as he shows his concern for Jane Gallagher’s innocence, “I could hardly keep my voice from shaking all over the place...I just had this feeling something had gone funny” (J.D. Salinger 48). Jane represents innocence in Holden’s life; Holden has only ever known Jane as an innocent child. He is clearly disturbed by the thought of her innocence being corrupted to the point where it physically affects him. It is clear that Jane is one of the only characters that Holden truly cares for and has a deeper connection with apart from phoebe. It is not a coincidence that these two people in his life are the only ones he has connections with as they are both part of his childhood and protect innocence in his eyes. This is the reason he gets so emotional about their potential loss of innocence. It is not about himself it is about protecting the innocence of his loved ones. Something that would be common between teenagers, Holden sees as something that could potentially corrupt Jane’s innocence. This demonstrates Holden’s inability to accept the reality that as people grow they mature and begin to change as a person. He believes that “Certain things should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one …show more content…
Holden reaches a point of desperation and anguish as he shows his anger for the destruction of innocence in others and not just himself. He expresses acts and thoughts of violence as he questions Stradlater about what he did with Jane he communicates that, “his voice was shaking something awful” (49). Clearly Holden is affected emotionally and as he vacillates and he begins to let it affect him physically as well. Holden later shows his aggravation when he discovers the graffiti on the walls of the school, he expresses his anger in vicious thoughts, “I kept wanting to kill whoever’d written it” (221). A school represents learning and knowledge, Holden worries that if the kids see the profanity on the walls they will learn what they mean and it will destroy their innocence. He rages against loss and injustice as he tries to erase the profanity off the walls. Holden's rage towards the transition into maturity causes him to stop maturing and turns into an obsessive desire to protect innocence. Holden is heavily concerned that innocent people such as Jane and the children will get tainted by the influences around them. Holden has a self driven need to preserve what he feels is the embodiment of innocence in people. He is left feeling convoluted and
These views help him differentiate from the society around him. Through his naive desire to preserve innocence he displays his own immaturity. Holden demonstrates this desire as he shows his concern for Jane Gallagher’s innocence, “I could hardly keep my voice from shaking all over the place...I just had this feeling something had gone funny” (J.D. Salinger 48). Jane represents innocence in Holden’s life; Holden has only ever known Jane as an innocent child. He is clearly disturbed by the thought of her innocence being corrupted to the point where it physically affects him. It is clear that Jane is one of the only characters that Holden truly cares for and has a deeper connection with apart from phoebe. It is not a coincidence that these two people in his life are the only ones he has connections with as they are both part of his childhood and protect innocence in his eyes. This is the reason he gets so emotional about their potential loss of innocence. It is not about himself it is about protecting the innocence of his loved ones. Something that would be common between teenagers, Holden sees as something that could potentially corrupt Jane’s innocence. This demonstrates Holden’s inability to accept the reality that as people grow they mature and begin to change as a person. He believes that “Certain things should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one …show more content…
Holden reaches a point of desperation and anguish as he shows his anger for the destruction of innocence in others and not just himself. He expresses acts and thoughts of violence as he questions Stradlater about what he did with Jane he communicates that, “his voice was shaking something awful” (49). Clearly Holden is affected emotionally and as he vacillates and he begins to let it affect him physically as well. Holden later shows his aggravation when he discovers the graffiti on the walls of the school, he expresses his anger in vicious thoughts, “I kept wanting to kill whoever’d written it” (221). A school represents learning and knowledge, Holden worries that if the kids see the profanity on the walls they will learn what they mean and it will destroy their innocence. He rages against loss and injustice as he tries to erase the profanity off the walls. Holden's rage towards the transition into maturity causes him to stop maturing and turns into an obsessive desire to protect innocence. Holden is heavily concerned that innocent people such as Jane and the children will get tainted by the influences around them. Holden has a self driven need to preserve what he feels is the embodiment of innocence in people. He is left feeling convoluted and