Holden's Value of Youth in Catcher in the Rye

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…I can read that kind of stuff, some kid's notebook…all day and all night long. Kid's notebooks kill me. (Chapter 21) Old Phoebe didn't even wake up. When the light was on and all, I sort of looked at her for a while. She was laying there asleep, with her face sort of on the side of the pillow. You take adults, they look lousy when they're asleep, but kids don't. Kids look all right. They can even spit all over the pillow and they still look all right. (Chapter 21) The Catcher in the Rye presents a clear distinction between children and adults. Children are caring, genuine, and extremely kindhearted, whereas adults are phony, bastards, and very self-centered. Since this novel is told from a seventeen year old with physiological issues point of view Holden explores the grey area between these two very different worlds. This is the least phony expression of thought we've seen so far in the novel. Holden finds this notebook very appealing because of it’s lack of falsity. Phoebe wrote what she was thinking, nothing phony. He finds her innocence very appealing, as does her kind-heartedness. We can tell he’d rather spend his time being around children, rather than adults. According to Holden, children are extremely innocent and much more appealing than adults. We've seen this through conversation and personal connections, but now we see it even in physicality and appearances. Because of his hatred towards “phony” adults, it reflects even towards physical appearances. Children to

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