The theme of childhood is spread throughout The Catcher in the Rye. Whether it is of childhood lost or the desire for childhood to disappear as quickly as possible, it’s always an inescapable matter in the book.
Sunny is a good example of childhood lost. The reader isn’t told what background Sunny comes from, or why she became a prostitute, we just know that she’s very young and immature, but doing an adult thing. She scares Holden not because she’s a prostitute, or because she’s too forward with him, it’s because she’s his own age. He thinks that it’s very sad and pathetic that she has become like this, and it shows him that being an adult and having to face some ugly things aren’t that all great.
this was part of an essay I wrote called "Holden Fucking Caulfield". Yeah, I said FUCK.