"Loss of innocence" becomes apparent when one first begins to show concern for the people, tasks, and troubles in the world. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye presents an abnormal character, Holden, who goes through life as if nothing matters to him. Holden, a seventeen year old, is an extreme pessimist in a constant state of depression. He also possesses unattractive qualities as a person: he is irresponsible, immature, lazy, and disrespectful. Even though Holden's actions in The Catcher in the Rye are equivalent to those of a careless child, by the end of the novel, Holden begins to take steps toward maturity and the "loss of innocence".
             Holden's incessant carelessness for everything presents itself all the way through the book. For example, he always likes to "horse" around. The first time that he does this occurs when he spontaneously changes moods: "All of a sudden for no good reason, except that I was sort of in the mood for horsing around, I felt like jumping off the washbowl and getting old Stradlater in a half nelson"(30). This sporadic change in mood is only one of many times that Holden commits an immature act. Another time, when Holden first leaves Pencey, he describes himself as being "loaded." However, as he is out on the streets, he spends money foolishly buying unnecessary things like beer and cigarettes. Besides his being unintelligent in his ability to maintain his monetary possessions, he is also underage for drinking and smoking cigarettes. Obviously, Holden has no idea how hard it is to earn money. Surprisingly, Holden never seems to care when he acts immaturely and incessantly continues his childish behavior. He feels that he should still play around and enjoy his childhood, forgetting about growing up.
             Holden's lack of respect for other people is another sign that he refuses to enter the real world. A
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