As humans age, they lose their innocence and become corrupted. There is one point in time between the changes from child to adult, the child loses its innocence. In novel, Holden realizes that innocence cannot be protected forever. Everything that he is innocent becomes corrupted. He learns that it is ones innocence cannot be held forever. In J.D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye Holden Caulfield portrays that innocence cannot be protected and is driven to insanity by the corruption that exist in society.
             During Holden's stay in New York he encounters many problems and people. One of the people he encounters is Sunny. Holden orders a prostitute but when she comes, he has second thoughts about her. When he hangs up her dress he thinks that 'the salesman probably just thought she was a regular girl" (Salinger 96). This shows that innocence cannot be protected forever. Sunny has already lost her innocence by becoming a prostitute. Everybody around her thought that she was probably a regular girl, but in reality was a prostitute. He feels pity that the innocence in her has been lost. Holden feels that it is his fault that he is about to corrupt her even more by having intercourse with her and decides not to do it. As a result, he tries to make conversation with her and tries to avoid having intercourse with her. Holden doesn't understand that things become corrupted because "Holden has constructed a simplistic divide between childhood, which he sees as innocent and good, and adulthood, which he finds superficial and evil"(Pinsker 34). Maurice and Sunny show the corruption in adulthood. By beating Holden up, it shows that Holden cannot win against the cruel and corrupted adult world.
             During the story, Holden remembers the poem "The Catcher in the Rye". This song holds great importance to him. The field is a symbol of childhood and the children play in the field unaware and carefre...