Theme Of Catcher In The Rye And The 21st Century

1157 Words5 Pages
The Catcher in the Rye’s Relevance in the 21st Century
The essential component of creating a timeless novel is ensuring that it continues to remain relevant as time progresses. The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, establishes the mentality of a teenager, Holden Caulfield, living in 1950’s. While there are many differences in society presently, many of Holden’s thoughts and affairs are similar to those seen in the 21st century. Holden deals with relentless insecurities and a struggle with his identity. Also, Holden is immensely curious and frightened by the idea of sex. The Catcher in the Rye deals with several topics that are relevant and similar to those faced by teenagers in the 21st century including persistent insecurities and the revelation of sex. Insecurities are something that the majority of teenagers face, this is also accurate for Holden Caulfield. Towards the beginning of the novel, Holden speaks with a previous professor of his, Mr. Spencer, about how he had flunked out of Pencey Prep. Spencer begins to read a paper written by Holden aloud; from which Holden did not seem ashamed of. However, after Spencer finishes, it becomes apparent that Holden was insecure about how he’d written the paper. “He put my goddam paper down then and looked at me like he 'd just beaten hell out of me in ping-pong or something. I don 't think I 'll ever forgive him for reading me that crap out loud. I wouldn 't 've read it out loud to him if he 'd written it--I really