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Alejandro Martinez
Mr. Wimer
English 11
September 22, 2014
Innocence
Youth is a prolonged period of time during which ones actions are not overtly punished
but consequences follow choices made. After this period ends, without hesitation, one must enter
the world of adulthood. The Catcher in the Rye and A Dark-Brown Dog both describe the
innocence of youth as something to let go of, with adulthood being full of rewards, yet adversely
key characters, Holden and the Child see adulthood as an abyss that should be avoided.
The Catcher in the Rye and A Dark-Brown Dog both describe adulthood as a tough
world which one needs to adapt to. In A Dark-Brown Dog the dog represents a slave that has
just been freed from slavery such as was experienced prior to the abolition. The author depicts
the dogs tragedy in a scene when he says A short rope was dragging from his neckhe trod
upon the end and stumbled (Crane). The literal meaning is that the dog is stumbling upon a
short leash and is unaccustomed to the real world he must adapt to. The Catcher in the Rye
conveys a similar message in chapter three when Holden says This is a people shooting hat, I
said. I shoot people in this hat (Salinger 30). This illustrates Holdens bitterness and resolution
to deal with the outside world. This underscores that it has harmed him irrevocably. To live more
freely, Holden must ultimately stop feeling like the world is against him and adapt to find his
own way. He must concentrate on those things that really matter, like school. Holdens struggle
with letting go of his youth is intense because he blames the world for his problems, yet he
avoids facing up to his problems and changing himself. He cannot change the world, but he can

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change himself and his own responses. Both Holden and the dog must adapt to the ever
changing world in order to live harmoniously. Their worlds both have their own troubles, but by
owning up and modifying their lifestyles they will be pleased with the results.
The Catcher in the Rye and A Dark-Brown Dog both convey the message that the
entrance to the adult world must not be blocked because it creates a tough survival environment.
In The Catcher in the Rye Holden says Id just be the catcher in the rye and all (Salinger 225).
To Holden the adult world is an abyss that destroys the innocence of the very children- children
he now seeks to save. This controlling protective attitude can only further damage Holden and is
evidenced by his sexual drive as illustrated by his encounter with a prostitute in his hotel room.
His careless desire to experience life shapes the self-destructive environment in which Holden
chooses to live in. In A Dark-Brown Dog the dog faces a similar struggle, when the author
says When the blow was repeatedhe turned over upon his backhe offered a small prayer to
the child (Crane). The dog is being brutally abused by his owner. Just as slavery has been
abolished, these attacks cannot be tolerated any more. The former slave, the dog, has trouble
letting go of his past which results in brutal beatings. As a former slave, the dog has to put an end
to this denial of reality. He must accept the fact that he has rights, and although his strength is
purely bravado it is still better than accepting brutality as a consequence of his life now with the
child. Holden wants to protect his innocence of youth while the dog cannot let his go, yet both
experience the same consequence; the destructive environment they choose to live in. If both key
characters discontinue their preservation they will never see the destructive environment again.
Another statement both of these pieces of literature make is that youth is a memory in
ones life that stays forever. In The Catcher in the Rye Holden reminisces about his childhood
when he says The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right

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where it was. Nobodyd move. . . . Nobodyd be different (Salinger 158). Holden loves the
museum because it is safe and nothing changes. Holden sees the real world as an ever evolving
environment which frightens him. In A Dark-Brown Dog the dog/ former slave recalls his
youth all throughout the story. The quote The child was in the habit of going on many
expeditionshis friend usually jogged aimfully behind himhe went ahead turning
aroundto make sure the child was coming. (Crane) shows that the dogs past still haunts him.
As mentioned before, the dog is a slave, while the boy represents the new generation of
privileged white society. The former slave, the dog leads the way yet he is always checking to
see if the boy is still following him because like the whites the child still had all the power. The
past of this former slave still haunts him because he does not have any power in this time period.
The former slave cannot go too away from the boy because if he does he will be punished.
Holden and the dog must reassure themselves that the adult world must be entered because if not,
then they will continue to experience the troubles.
Both The Catcher in the Rye and A Dark-Brown Dog insist that youth is not something
to be preserved. They do this with Holden and his inner struggles and with the dogs dark history
leading to his death. Youth is a period in ones life that spans most of their childhood, but there
comes a point in which one has to let go. Is letting go of innocence a good thing, or just a
survival skill? Perhaps it is both.