What is the main message of The Catcher in the Rye?
Protection of innocence and especially that of children!
Moreover, for the majority of the book, Holden sees this as a primary virtue.
Closely related to his struggle against growing up.
Holden possesses a personality of thoughtfulness and critical thinking with a splendidly good taste of literary works, which suggests his knowledge as well. His true self is hidden under the appearance of a messed-up and troublesome ‘pimp’. It seems that he doesn’t care about anything, but the truth is that he knows about right and wrong, and also doesn’t want to see good turns into bad.
Moreover, the theme of Holden’s favorite D.B. The story, “The Secret Goldfish” (about a child who buys a goldfish and does not allow anyone to look at it, because he has paid for it with his own money) foreshadows Holden’s consistent passion for the innocence and authenticity of childhood.
At the same time, he seems to be disappointed and sorry for the regression in D.B. ‘s writing, which reveals a new characteristic of thoughtfulness, sharpness, and incisiveness of Holden. In almost every case, he rejects more complex judgments in favor of simple categorical ones. He sees what others don’t, to some extent. Lastly, he is a prophet and pioneer.
