The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, is a common read for adolescents and follows Holden Caulfield while he is alone in New York City. He faces difficult challenges, provoking him to make quick decisions that force him to mature sooner than he usually would. Because The Catcher in the Rye was created in the 1940s, this novel is not relevant to today’s teenagers and their problems. Modern adolescents are unable to relate to The Catcher in the Rye because technology is so prevalent that most teens would not be in Holden’s situation. Throughout Holden's time in New York, he says that he would love to call Jane and meet up with her, but "quote about parents answering the phone". However, technology has now enabled people to communicate with others more efficiently. According to the ERIAL Project, an …show more content…
Both of these methods were not available to Holden. On the other hand, only 19% of teenagers use a landline daily, which is the same technology Holden would have access to. Because of this immense gap between cellphone use and landlines, modern teens wouldn't need to isolate themselves from society in an effort to stay incognito. They could simply send a text message saying "Hey, could you hang out right now? I'm at Ernie's if you want to drop by," and most parents would never know. Even if the recipient was unable to, they would still be able to keep in contact with each other, preventing loneliness. Also, because communication and technology has improved, Holden would not have been able to be on his own for so many days. After the expulsion, his parents would have been immediately notified through email or cellphone. Even if Holden did manage to get to New York City unnoticed, eventually someone would have noticed that he was missing. The police and citizens would be told and be on the lookout for him. Now, news travels too fast for teenagers to get very far away from home. Also, AMBER