Catcher In The Rye Innocence Theme Essay

The transition from childhood to adulthood can be very challenging for a few people.
Jerome Salinger illustrates the main character of The Catcher in the Rye as having difficulties with society, himself, and the thought of taking the final step of achieving adulthood. J.D. Salinger employs the theme of innocence through an array of literary devices and literary elements such as conflict, irony, and setting.
Salinger expertly uses diction to demonstrate the innocence the main character wants to preserve in his life and in other children's lives. As Steinle states, “Holden himself acts as a censor, attempting to erase the “fuck you” he finds written on his sister's school building,” this demonstrates that Holden wants to keep the mind of his younger sister and other children’s minds ignorant to societies vulgar language which

As Silverberg states, “As for Holden himself, what the world seemed to offer was nothing but phoniness, greed, and hypocrisy of adults,” Holden believes these attributes belong in every adult but when he is asked about his age he classifies himself as older than a teenager, “How old are you, cheif?,’ the elevator guy said. ‘Why?’ I said. ‘Twenty Two,’”(Salinger 101). Throughout The Catcher in the Rye Holden continuously talks about how adults are phony but when Holden meets a woman on the train whose son also goes to Pencey Prep he pretends to be somebody who he is not and lies about the status of her son to amuse her which demonstrates how Holden is similar to an adult who tries to amuse his friends. By wanting to amuse the woman on the train Holden puts himself in the position of the adults he despises. “I had her glued to her seat. You take somebody’s mother, all they want to hear about is what a hot-shot their son is”(Salinger