If there was one word to describe what the theme of the book was, it would be innocence. How we are all innocent at some point, how to try to maintain our innocence and how no one can maintain their innocence forever. We all fall from our innocence. Adam and Eve fell from grace and innocence and set the tone for all of our lives. Throughout the book Holden tries to make people maintain their innocence and wants to maintain it himself. What he must learn and learns throughout the book is that no one can maintain their innocence. We all fall at some point, but what we have control over is how hard we fall. There are many images of falls in the book. The title itself is about Holden wanting to "catch" young children as they fall off a cliff. “What I have to do, I have to catch everyone if they start falling off the cliff” I mean, if they run and don't look where they're going, I have to go out somewhere and catch them. " (Page 173) Holden wants to save everyone and be a hero, when he needs to focus much more attention on himself. For him, falling is when you lose your innocence, and when you lose your innocence you are a fake. He sees people who conform as false, but to stay sane and thrive a person usually has to conform and be “false.” Antolini brings another image of downfall to our attention when he talks to Holden about his behavior. He tells Holden that Holden should fall. «I think you're running for this autumn... it's a special kind of autumn, a horrible kind. Man is not allowed to feel or feel himself having hit rock bottom brings to our attention the fact that Holden will “fall” or lose his innocence soon if he hasn't already. In the book, when Holden is going crazy, he seems to keep falling and falling, but he can't hear himself falling or hit rock bottom. He drinks constantly to escape the problems he has in his life. He tries to find people and things that make him happy, but he can't anymore. Allie made him happy, but now Allie is dead.