The Corrruption Of Innocence Essay, Research Paper
The Corruption of Innocence
It has struck some go forthing a permanent impact while others merely allow it travel by. Some would see it as corruptness, and others see mundane life. I see it as the pure loss of artlessness in a universe of corruptness. This new issue has risen in today s coevals go forthing no one free of it wrath. This has non been the first we have seen of this. The loss of artlessness has been referred to over old ages by many writers, but now we come to see it in our lives a batch more often. Harmonizing to writers like Emerson and Salinger, who although wrote their pieces so far apart, experience everyday in life the American Character is faced upon with the corruptness of artlessness that takes off from their alone American Character.
In his book, The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger focuses on the subject of artlessness for a big sum of clip. Holden invariably refers to everyone as being a hypocrite and that they had lost their artlessness, which had been corrupted when they matured and were exposed to society. The society had exposed them to the existent universe and made them believe in order to last they must follow others. Holden goes in portion of the book about occupations he likes and starts to depict occupation of a attorney and says how they are sincere and seek to salvage guiltless lives, but so he goes on to believe about how they are likely hypocrites and merely making it to be hot-shots and makes tonss of money to affect society. ( Salinger 172 ) The result of his ideas was that everybody had conformed and followed each society s thoughts, which upset Holden because no 1 was free of corruptness accept the kids of society, like Ally. Holden sees it as a major issue in the book and serves as a major function of Holden s throughout the book. The issue even leads to the rubric of the book in the sense that it is named after his supposed occupation he wishes to under take as a Catcher in the Rye. He wants to be a backstop in a field of rye and small kids who catches kids from falling off the drop and being corrupted by society. ( Salinger 173 ) Therefore, in fact the subject of artlessness has a important function in this book.
Another writer who besides uses the function of artlessness and corruptness as a major subject is Ralph Waldo Emerson in his essay Self-Reliance. Emerson goes on for pages about how non to be af
fected by other s sentiments because this will pervert your thoughts. He besides says non to conform to others thoughts but remain true to your ain. One sentence he goes on to state that who is adult male must be a Nonconformist. ( Emerson 494 ) This relates to the function of artlessness because the unfavorable judgment people say about your thoughts will merely pervert your manner of thought and lead you to move hypocrite to delight others. This leads to the idea that you should non be influenced by what others say because you are your ain individual and you should remain with your beliefs. He besides goes on to state in one paragraph that It is easy in the universe to populate after the universe s sentiment ; it is easy in purdah to populate after our ain ; but the great adult male is he who in the thick of the crowd supports with the independency of purdah which can travel on to intend that it is easy to follow others thoughts when in the crowd and easy to follow your ain thoughts when entirely, but it is a genuinely great adult male who can follow his ain beliefs among a crowd. ( Emerson 495 ) This once more shows that a genuinely great adult male is a adult male whose thoughts and beliefs had non been corrupted by the ideas of society, yet a individual whose artlessness had been preserved in a sea of corruptness.
Ultimately, when we look at both texts and how the writers, Emerson and Salinger, use the function of artlessness as a major portion we can see that they both have strong sentiments on it. So when we search for why is artlessness such an of import issue in the American character who better to happen the reply from but these two who themselves show such a preserved artlessness in our sea of corruptness. Sing that in their Hagiographas they use the changeless thought of being yourself and the saving of artlessness, which is the lone defence you bare from a corrupted society of hypocrites. The writers have shown that they know about corruptness and its consequence on society and the American Character. The issue of artlessness is so of import to the American Character because the traits of the character are chiefly based upon artlessness and make non cover in footings of world. If the artlessness of the American Character were lost so all of the American Character would be lost, because so American would non keep true to its values but hold the values of others. This would wholly convey down the position of the American Character, which is why artlessness is such an of import issue addressed by Emerson and Salinger.
