Through the catcher in the rye, his protectiveness of his sister, and his deceased brother’s hunting hat this theme is portrayed. In his theory about the catcher in the rye, it shows his obsession with keeping children innocent. He is trying so hard to keep the children from experiencing things that will take away their innocence. Caulfield is so obsessed with keeping the children innocent because he has realized that he has lost his youthfulness and does not want the other children to experience the pain of adulthood. By the end of the book he realizes that he does not need to keep the children from becoming an adult, but he needs to guide them. "The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them."(Salinger, pg.
Through the catcher in the rye, his protectiveness of his sister, and his deceased brother’s hunting hat this theme is portrayed. In his theory about the catcher in the rye, it shows his obsession with keeping children innocent. He is trying so hard to keep the children from experiencing things that will take away their innocence. Caulfield is so obsessed with keeping the children innocent because he has realized that he has lost his youthfulness and does not want the other children to experience the pain of adulthood. By the end of the book he realizes that he does not need to keep the children from becoming an adult, but he needs to guide them. "The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them."(Salinger, pg.