Topic > The innocence and purity of Holden Caulfield in The Catcher...

In a society full of impurities, Holden Caulfield seeks purity and innocence in everyone around him. Lonely, loving and critical, Holden is the narrator and protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye. His actions and the way he acts reveal that Holden is very lonely and longs for human companionship. Holden is a little more mature than his age, but he still craves pleasures like any other teenager. After meeting people, Holden becomes very critical of the way people behave. These traits all come together in the end and put Holden in a mental institution, living just a few miles away from his older brother. Throughout the entire story, Holden tells the reader that he is very lonely, but never actually does anything to get rid of the feeling. He has been burned multiple times, by friends and the people he loves, making it difficult for him to want anyone in his life. Holden invited Ackley to the movies, because Holden knew that Ackley spent Saturdays alone. Then, when Holden needed a friend or a place to sleep, Ackley wanted Holden gone. Instead of Stradlater thanking Holden for writing his article, Stradlater does the opposite and yells at Holden. So it is very evident that Holden has been hurt many times and has lost the need for a companion. When he arrives in New York, the first thing he does is enter a phone booth and leaves without calling anyone. This passage in the story tells a lot about Holden: “I couldn't think of anyone to call. My brother DB was in Hollywood. My little sister Phoebe goes to bed around nine, so I haven't been able to call her. (...) Those would be my parents. So it was out of the question. Then I thought of notifying Jane Gallagher's mother, and finding out when Jane is free... middle of paper... it will be a pure place, without corrupt people who fall for greed, money and drugs. In the whole story the biggest hypocrite is Holden, which means he is the biggest fake. Holden ran away from home, from school, lies and yet criticizes liars, gets very angry when others swear, yet he swears more often. While walking through the school, Holden notices, “Someone wrote 'Fuck you' on the wall. It almost drove him crazy. [He] thought about how Phoebe and all the other kids would see it, and how they would wonder what the hell it meant, and then finally some dirty kid would tell them - all weirdo, of course - what it meant, and how they would all think about it and maybe they would even worry about it for a couple of days. (p.201) This passage really shows how much Holden cares about the innocence of children, especially his sister, and how he wants to preserve it.