In The Catcher in the Rye, the cliff
and the carousel both speak to the theme of the loss of innocence that is developed in
the novel. Near the end of the book, Holden and Phoebe go to the park, and Holden sits
on a bench while he watches his sister ride the carousel. While watching, Holden thinks
about his sister taking risks while still being happy. Holden loves Phoebe's innocence,
and he wishes that he could also have this sense of innocence. Holden has a daydream
about catching little kids before they fall off a cliff--the cliff represents the moment
when childhood innocence is lost. Holden wishes that he could prevent children from
losing their innocence and becoming "phony" like the adults in his
life.
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