The way teenagers act and talk is always changing. From generation to generation it becomes harder to understand the new slang which is proven through The Catcher in the Rye. Some of the language used in the book is confusing to the next generation of teenagers. Which leads to the question is Holden Caulfield an authentic teen character? I think that Holden is an authentic teen character because he goes through real teen experiences, has to deal with dark times, and he has to face the emotional truths.
Holden Caulfield goes through things that real teenagers go through. One example is at the beginning of the book when he says “I left all the foils and equipment and stuff on the goddamn subway.” (pg. 3). He tries to downplay the fact that the whole team was mad at him, which is a common reaction teenagers have. They don’t want to be blamed so they blow it off. Then later when he gets kicked out of Pencey he decides to leave early and spend a few days going around the city, but
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He has to realize that he does have feelings towards things and it’s not necessary to cover them up. Holden goes to the hotel and is asked if he wants a prostitute to come up to his room while he’s waiting he says “If you want to know the truth, I’m a virgin.” even though usually he plays it off as though he has already been through the emotional journey of losing his virginity but he always stops when the opportunity arises even though most guys wouldn’t (pg. 92).
Another place where Holden faces an emotional truth is when he is talking to Phoebe about the jobs he could potentially do in the future and he says “I’m no good at science.” because he’s thinking about his future and is narrowing down his options (pg. 172). At some point each person has to decide their strengths and weaknesses and decide where that will take them. Holden is forced to start picking out where his strengths will take