An analysis of The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger.

Falling from Grace

"They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." -Andy Worhol. In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden, slowly comes to the realization that everything will lose its innocence, but not everything will become corrupted. Holden Caulfield despises time because it accompanies change. Throughout Holden's life, change has always led to misery. Watching his brother turn from a children's book writer into a filmmaker; changing school; and losing his younger brother to leukemia all affected him. The most hateful thing for Holden, that derives from time, is growing up. Holden find adults repulsive - having been subjected to molestation when he was younger. But no matter how hard he tries, he cannot stop the process of maturing.

As the book progresses, Holden orders a prostitute, drinks all night in a bar, and at one point roams around New York while soaking wet.

Historical Holden

The Catcher in the Rye

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In a sense, he loses his innocence through the course of the book. However, at the beginning of the novel, Holden is still very innocent and virtually uncorrupted. "You never saw such gore in your life... It partly scared me and it partly fascinated me. All that blood and all sort of made me look tough. I'd only been in about two fights in my life, and I lost both of them. I'm not too tough. I'm a pacifist, if you want to know the truth." (45). Holden feels like a big shot with the blood on his face and it makes him feel good to seem stronger then others around him. Even though he pretends to dislike movies, he still watches them. "The goddam movies. They can ruin you. I'm not kidding." (104). Watching movies contributes to Holden's vivid, and often violent, imagination...