In The Catcher In The Rye Salinger portrays the main character Holden Caulfield as a protector of innocence which is shown through his protection of children, giving up his own innocence to help others, and his disgust of the graffiti on the walls. Holden is a very strong minded individual and is very open about the way he feels about things. Although it does not seem that he is the "protector of innocence" at first, as the story progresses he begins to shed more of his own innocence to affect those around him. The main way Holden wants to be a protector is to keep children from growing up and becoming phony and corrupt as he feels most adults become. Some would believe that Holde