The theme I am going to focus on in this book report is innocence, which is directly related to theme of authentic versus artificial. This theme reflects Holden's view of the world and life. Holden sees life as a conflict between authentic and artificial and this theme relates to his attitude towards children and the preserving of their innocence. If these children might succumb to the ways of the adult world, they will become "phonies", untrue to themselves. This is a dominating theme in the book, which is characterized by two literary elements: characterization and symbolism.
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