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Going Back
The song that I chose is What I've done by Linkin Park. The Song What I've Done, illustrates Holden's need for innocence by talking about how he wants to go back. Throughout the story, Holden Caulfield wants to be mature, but when he acts mature he wants to hold onto his innocence. When Holden visits Phoebe after coming back home from getting expelled from Pencey, he realizes how he is in desperate need of holding onto his innocence. He notices Phoebe's clothes and how she looked nice in the clothes she was wearing. He likes that she likes her clothes and that she is not being forced to wear them, because most kids are forced to wear certain clothes by their parents. He likes how Phoebe appreciates everything and loves life. Holden relates to the lines, "What I've Done. I'll face myself, To cross out what I've become. Erase myself, And let go of what I've done." because he wants to get rid of the phony things that he has done and he wants to be a youthful person like Phoebe. This is why Holden likes and looks up to Phoebe so much. Another example of this is when Holden gets back to his room and a prostitute gets sent to his room. He decides that he doesn't want to have sex with her but then he goes on talking about how he was ALMOST had sex but that he was still a virgin. This shows how Holden wants to stay attached to his innocent, youthful personality that he has inside.
This song doesn't show need for innocence as much as guilt and self-doubt. Holden isn't racked only by a desire to remain as as child; he is tormented by Phoebe's rejection of him. He also knows this is his fault, and he would like to "Put to rest What [Phoebe] Thought of [Holden]". This song fits quite well into Catcher in the Rye with either my or Zach's interpretation. For example, the tone of the music still reflects the loss of innocence really well. Again, if one applies and interprets the lyrics in a more literal way, it is a slightly different way than how Zach put it.
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