Growing up is something everyone experiences, and with growth comes the loss of innocence. In The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, the protagonist Holden Caulfield wishes to be the "catcher in the Rye" so that he can preserve the innocence of individuals. As Holden walks the streets of New York, he realizes how ugly the adult world is. As a troubled teenager, Holden doesn't want to grow up but soon concludes that he can't help this process. Due to Holden's belief that the adult world is full of fakes, the death of his brother Allie, and the loss of his own innocence, Holden feels obligated to protect the innocence of the people around him. he was obligated to protect the innocence of the people around him. Early in the novel, Holden discovers that he is being kicked out of another prep school because of his pitiful grades. Recounting his journey from Pencey Preparatory School to New York, Holden recalls many of the deceptions he encountered during this journey. At Pencey Prep, Holden lives in "the Ossenburger memorial wing of the new dorms, [which] is named after that Ossenburger guy who went to Pencey" (Salinger 16). Later, Holden finds out that Ossenburger made a lot of money after leaving Pencey, because "what he did, he created these corporate corporations all over the country where you could bury your family members for five dollars each” (Salinger 16). . Holden states that Ossenburger is a fake because he is infatuated with making money by burying people with cheap funerals. After receiving a lot of money, Ossenburger gave a speech in a chapel that “lasted about ten hours… telling us that we should always pray to God… in the middle of a paper… at the end of a paper” (Salinger 172). Lying, drinking under the legal age, smoking and swearing are all factors that prove that Holden no longer has his purity. Holden is not innocent; he actually gets sucked into the cruel world of adults and doesn't even recognize it. Due to Holden's view that the adult world is filled with fakes, the death of his younger brother Allie, and the deprivation of his own innocence, Holden feels the need to protect the innocence of the important people in his life. life. During his weekend trip from Pencey to New York, Holden attempts to discover the difference between the world of children and the world of adults. At the end of his journey, Holden realizes that growing up is a part of life that everyone experiences. In conclusion, growing up is a life process that every person has to go through and cannot prevent..