As its title indicates, the dominating theme of The Catcher in the Rye
Why is Holden Caulfield obsessed with innocence?
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is so obsessed with innocence
because the death of his younger brother, Allie, from leukemia was traumatic for him
. Ever since that time, he has longed to protect others as he could not protect Allie and has yearned to recreate the innocent and safe world of childhood he remembers.
How does Holden protect his own innocence?
The red hunting hat
is another symbolism of innocence in the novel. Holden always wear the red hunting hat to protect himself from the “hunter”, the society. He gave the hunting hat to Phoebe, “she took off my red hunting hat – the one I gave her” (207), to protect her from the society.
What represents innocence in The Catcher in the Rye?
The field
represents innocence. The fall from the cliff represents the fall from innocence. Holden represents the attempt to shelter kids from growing up, and more personally, represents his desire to avoid the harshness of adult life. The Catcher in the Rye, Part 2: The symbol is ironic.
How is innocence a theme in Catcher in the Rye?
Theme Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye
The overall theme portrayed in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, is
the loss of innocence
. The protagonist, Holden Caulfield, values his innocence and fears of who he will become once he matures and conforms with the rest of society as an adult.
How did Holden lose his innocence?
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden loses his innocence at the age of thirteen, when his brother, Allie,
dies of leukemia
. This strips away his sense that the world is safe or fair.
How does Holden See innocence?
As its title indicates, the dominating theme of The Catcher in the Rye is the protection of innocence, especially of children. For most of the book, Holden sees this
as a primary virtue
. It is very closely related to his struggle against growing up. … The people he admires all represent or protect innocence.
Does Holden See Jane innocent?
Holden’s strong feelings toward Jane are revealed when he attacks his roommate Stradlater for taking her on a date.
Holden views himself as a protector of innocence
, and his worst fear is that Stradlater hooked up with Jane.
Who is Mr Antolini Holden?
Antolini is
the adult who comes closest to reaching Holden
. He manages to avoid alienating Holden, and being labeled a “phony,” because he doesn’t behave conventionally. He doesn’t speak to Holden in the persona of a teacher or an authority figure, as Mr. Spencer does.
Why is Holden lonely?
His loneliness is apparent through many ways including:
his lack of friends
, his longing for his dead brother, and the way he attempts to gain acceptance from others. To Holden, everyone is either corny of phony. … Holden is not a very sociable person partly because he finds himself better than many others.
Why is Holden obsessed with death?
Holden has a major death wish. Holden is only obsessed with death and mortality
because he cherishes life so much.
Why does Holden call phonies?
Holden characterizes “phonies” as people who are dishonest or fake about who they really are, or people who play a
part just to fit into a society that Holden questions
. Therefore, Holden hates “phonies” because they represent everything he fears or fights against, such as adulthood, conformity, and commercialism.
Why is Sally Hayes a phony?
Holden’s insulting words towards Sally tell us a lot more about him than they do about her. She represents everything he’s come to despise. She’s
bubbly, popular
, and entirely at ease with the society in which she moves so effortlessly. This makes her a “phony” in Holden’s eyes.
Why does Holden idolize Phoebe and Allie?
Holden idolizes Phoebe and Allie so
much because they meet his expectations of what society should be like
. Holden wants everyone to stay innocent. This relates to his dream of being the “catcher in the rye” because being the “catcher in the rye” is the “perfect” person in society.
How does Holden resist adulthood?
It is matched by
a twin compulsion to ward off progress into adulthood
. We can see this in Holden’s behavior at school, letting himself fail instead of working toward high school graduation. Another example of this tendency can be seen in the episode where Holden refuses to have sex with the prostitute.
How old is Holden Caulfield?
The Catcher in the Rye. The Catcher in the Rye, novel by J.D. Salinger published in 1951. The novel details two days in the life of
16-year-old
Holden Caulfield after he has been expelled from prep school.
