In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield finds himself a protector of innocence. Throughout the whole book, the idea that children lose their innocence as they mature is widely explored, and it appears that Holden is trying to shield them from maturity. Or, at least, to keep these people pure, and innocent, in his mind. In this way, I believe Holden Caulfield is one of the most complex characters that we have read about, in school.
             The act of Holden giving his red hunting cap to Phoebe, to wear.
             This acts as a shield. It symbolizes security and protection. In a way, Holden feels as though he is protecting his sister, by giving her his hat. A red hunting cap, that you can pull over your ears, and block out the rest of the world. Block out the harshness of reality, block out the "phonies", block out the cruelty that people inflict upon one another. Holden is physically trying to shelter his sister, from the rest of the world.
             "Anyway, I kept picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going. I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be "The Catcher in the Rye" and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be." (173)
             This quote shows Holden expressing his deepest desire: here he is, protecting childhood innocence, and saving these children from having to live in the "phony" adult world. To Holden, few are sacred... the rest are phonies.
             "If a body meet a body comin thro' the rye," not "If a body catch a body comin thro' the rye."
             This is not the first time Holden has altered something, but, unlike h...