Holden's Innocence in The Catcher in the Rye In JD Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, spends several days wandering around New York. During this time he learns many things about himself. He seems to have some mental problems, but fortunately this problem begins to be less serious towards the end of the story. But the most interesting thing is that the things he knows about himself are the things he doesn't know about himself. Holden constantly holds children on a pedestal and dismisses adults as "phony." Holden, even if he doesn't know it, unconsciously protects the innocence of childhood in his mind. In the book, Holden constantly remembers Jane Gallagher, a friend of his who he met a few summers ago in Maine. On the day Holden leaves Pencey, Stradlater tells him he will have a date with Jane. After hearing this, Holden tells Stradlater, "...I used to play checkers with her all the time." “You played what with her all the time?” "To checkers." "A king, by God!"" Yes. She wouldn't move any of her kings. What she would do, when she took a king, she wouldn't just move it to the back row lined up in the back row. Then she would never use them. I just liked the way they looked when they were all in the back row." (31-32) Holden later becomes jealous of Stradlater when he suspects that he had sex with Jane. As Holden later wanders around New York, many times he has the urge to call Jane but doesn't. He never gives a reason, but subconsciously he realizes that if he calls Jane, he will have to face a new person, who may have lost the innocence of a girl playing ... middle of paper ... ... in her life stay the same, because that makes things easier. Holden's need for simplicity also translates into a need for wide-eyed, childlike innocence. This worldview is simpler than the cynical, materialistic and expert one of the adults Holden knows. This is why Holden prefers people to remain innocent and why he subconsciously protects that innocence. Holden sees the adult world as a harsh and unforgiving place. He realizes that he was forced into this world against his will and it hurt him. Subconsciously, he strives to keep children out of this world as long as possible and serves as a protector of innocence in his own mind. Although he does not protect this innocence in the outside world, in his mind he wishes to prevent children from reaching adulthood and preserve for them the naivety of childhood..