Innocence in Catcher in the Rye Essay

In JD Salingers backstop in the Rye, H anileen Caulfield is a boy aimlessly traveling New York City later(prenominal) existence expelled from a classy embarkment school. Holden poses a great deal of fear when it comes to inner relationships, especi completelyy those of Jane and blessed. Furthermore, Holden tends to misjudge the due date of his fellow characters. The combination of this misconception, the tension between intimate trepidation, and an self-aggrandising life with adult relationships, results in confusion for him. In Holdens life, thither pack only been a few people hes cherished more than his childhood neighbor, Jane Gallagher.They were cozy childhood friends, and when his roommate Stradlater brings her up long time later in high school, all he trick talk active is the innocent fun they used to bind playing checkers, watching her dance ballet in the summer heat, and how her Doberman always came into his yard. However, he also reminisces on how her boozehound stepfather would always ladder around the goddam house au naturel(predicate) (42). He suspects that her stepfather had harassed Jane, who had a terrific figure, and he wouldntve put it past that bastard (103).This real bothers Holden, as does when Stradlater insinuates that he made turn onual advances onto Jane on their date. To Holden, sexual encounters mean an admixture of sinlessness, and he hates that Stradlater or Janes stepfather whitethorn have corrupted Jane. Many times, Holden promises himself that he outa go down and say how-do-you-do to her (40), or that he should give old Jane a buzz (195), but he never does. Subconsciously, he fears that Jane will have big(p) up, and calling her or seeing her will surely alter the recent, innocent, checkers-playing interlingual rendition of Jane that he has in his mind.This is confusing for Holden because Jane has large(p) up, yet he still thinks of her as a little girl, not the grown woman that she is. Holden knew that sh e wouldnt let Stradlater buzz off to first base with her, but it group him crazy anyway (104). This shows Holdens effectiveness misconception of Janes innocence. It is unlikely for a post-teenage young woman to be as provide and have as much innocence as she did when she was a little girl. However, this is something Holden cannot grasp.This plight is a direct result of Holdens irrational respect for innocence, influenced by sexual confrontations in Holdens past. When Holden agrees to have a working girl come to his room in the hotel, he is soon greeted by pleased at his door. Holden is immediately unimpressed with Sunnys maturity how she was jiggling this one rump up and down, she never give tongue to thank you, and she had this tiny little wheeny-whiny enunciate (123). He also notices that she appears very young, and tell things that were really puerile.This ends up making him sprightliness more depressed than sexy (123), and he decides not to have sex with her after a ll. The depiction of this young girl making money as a prostitute seems to upset Holden, and he ultimately concludes that having sex with her would spoil her innocence. This is where Holden is again misguided. Just as it is unlikely for Jane to retain the same tip of innocence through the years, it is improbable that Sunny, being a prostitute, will have not had sex with many people in the past, therefore preserving her innocence.But all Holden can see in Sunny is the childish and immature, which results in a conflicted view of the world. The brilliance of innocence to Holden is something that results in nervousness towards others sexual identity and activity. His perspective of Jane and Sunnys innocence is also misguided to the repoint where he sees innocence in them when there is none. Overall, the importance of innocence to Holden results in affray that is less than innocent.