One of the purist periods of a person's life is childhood, during which life is easy and often romanticized. As a person grows older, the innocence and naivety of childhood begins to fade, giving way to a harshness caused by the harsh realities of adulthood. Although the transition from childhood is difficult, remember not to rush into adulthood relishing your innocence. In Catcher In the Rye by JD Salinger, the main character Holden Caulfield is in a transition phase, he is having difficulty growing up and behaving like an adult. So instead of rushing into adulthood, he finds that slowing down the process and acting in a less adult way is better for him. Holden finds the topics and qualities of mature adults wrong, but finds the topics and qualities of innocent children enjoyable. When Holden describes his little sister, Phoebe, he says, "You've never seen a little kid so pretty and smart in all your life." » (Salinger 67 years old) Although he calls everyone in his family intelligent, he is not as kind to them as he is to Phoebe, for example, he calls his older brother DB a "prostitute" . (Salinger 2) His interpretation of his siblings is based on their decision and actions. He calls DB a prostitute because of his decision to become a Hollywood writer instead of remaining a short story writer. It seems that Holden admires and gushes over the innocent happiness of Phoebe's childhood. The quote shows how innocence plays a key role in how a person judges another person. Additionally, innocence is considered good, while anything other than innocence is considered evil or corrupt. Ultimately, the main point that JD Salinger is trying to convey is that the time of innocence and childhood should be cherished and held firmly. As mentioned previously, Holden has an im...... middle of paper..... .en, he went to his sister's school and found the words fuck you on the wall, he was upset. He felt the need to protect the children by trying to erase the degrading comments. He said: “It almost drove me crazy…. I thought about how Phoebe and all the other kids would see him. (Salinger 121) Holden simply baffled how anyone could be so careless to not think about the innocent eyes that can see those thinnest words. Overall, the book is about innocence. Many people told Holden to grow up, but he was simply basking in the innocent happiness of childhood. Holden hated how harsh the world was, he felt that people were too harsh and needed to slow down the growth process. Salinger simply believed that people should slow down and enjoy the moment when the world seems innocent and pure. Work CitedSalinger, JD The Rye Catcher. Boston: Little Brown, 1991. Print