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Why Is Catcher In The Rye Still Relevant Today

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The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, is a commentary on the teen aspects of life in the 1950s. While some may say this commentary can’t hold up to today’s ambitious and aspirational teen culture… this is not true. It still has a lot of value to teenagers today. It speaks to teenagers who are different from most and struggle with maturing/growing up. The Catcher in the Rye is still a relatable book to teenagers for many reasons. The Catcher in the Rye is relatable to many teenagers who feel unique or different compared to their peers. In the article, The Catcher in the Rye: The Voice of Alienation, the speaker, Timothy Aubry, says the following about Salinger’s work, “Since 1951 when it was first published, The Catcher in the Rye has …show more content…

However, this is far from true because Holden is still relatable with and because of his flaws. In the article, Get a Life, Holden Caufield, the speaker, Jennifer Schuessler, says the following about teens' views on Holden, “The culture is also more competitive. These days, teenagers seem more interested in getting into Harvard than in flunking out of Pencey Prep” (Schuessler 10). However, Schuessler is wrong because Holden's flunking is a very real fear for many teenagers. Additionally, Holden flunking out represents the fears of many teenagers today while also conveying relatable ideas about school and teen life to teenagers. In the text, Holden is deciding what to do about his flunking out of another school when he thinks to himself, “I didn't want to go home or anything till they got it and thoroughly digested it and all. I didn't want to be around when they first got it” (Salinger 28). Many teenagers can relate to this sentiment of not wanting to return to their parents after messing up. They fear how their parents will react to bad news just like Holden

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The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger, focuses on a young man–Holden Caulfield–who fears growing up. Throughout the book, Holden struggles to accept that he is entering the “phony” world of adulthood. He has rebelled in various ways to prove that he has control over his life; however, the one thing Holden yearns to control is the inevitable change of growing older. J.D. Salinger uses symbolism and point of view to convey the theme of this book: fear of change and growing up. The fear of entering the adult world can lead somebody to protect themselves to avoid failure of fitting in.

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Holden was rich and white, it made teens think that he had no real problems at all and it made it hard for them to see themselves in Holden and to feel empathy for him, therefore, Holden does not represent a modern teenager. Holden does not represent a modern teenager because they think he had no real problems at all. In Dana Czapnik’s article, From everyteen to annoying: are today's young readers turning on The Catcher in the Rye? She talks about how some teenagers see Holden and how the way they used to see Holden is not the same anymore. Back then teenagers used to relate to Holden

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The Catcher in the Rye is a novel that was written by J. D. Salinger in 1951. It was first published by Little, Brown and Company and was originally written for adults, but became popular among teenagers for its teenage main character, who deals with problems a large number of adolescents face in their transition into adulthood. It is not a difficult book to read, especially considering it is only 234 pages. The story revolves around the protagonist, a 16 year old boy named Holden Caulfield, who recently flunked out of a prestigious preparatory school.

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Why Is Catcher In The Rye Still Relevant Today

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I do think this is still relevant to teenagers today because a lot of teens today are like Holden. They are like holden because a lot of teens don’t want to grow up and go into the real world because they are afraid and they are not ready for what’s to come and Holden is just like that throughout the story he is afraid and worried for what’s to come. “The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.” The Catcher in the Rye is a novel written by J. D. Salinger and it’s about a kid named Holden and Holden is afraid to enter the adult world and he wants to become a catcher in the rye to save kids from falling of a cliff that falls into the adult world.

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Catcher in the Rye has given a voice to millions of teenagers worldwide who have dealt with mental health issues. Set in the 1950s the novel Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger follows a 16-year-old named Holden who has last his brother, alienated himself from his peers, and is terrified of growing up. After being kicked out of school Holden goes on a two-day bender in the city. On this bender Holden finds himself surrounded by thousands but at the same time alone. On the journey, Holden experiences different scenarios where he feels he has completely nothing and almost debates committing suicide.

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“No one knows the value of innocence and integrity but he who has lost them” William Godwin. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger captures three days in the life of a teenage boy after being kicked out of school. It takes place in America post World War II when a major belief in America was conformity. World War II gave way to many people wanting everything to be the same where everyone does the same thing and lives in identical houses just for the sense of security that the war or depression wouldn't take that away again. Instead of liking this, Holden instead feels trapped by the ideals and lost of who he should be.

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Holden would likely face the same challenges he does in the story only on a larger scale. For example, teens today can face rejection by hundreds of people at a time through social media. Holden would likely hate social media, but still use it as it would represent a way he could reach out to those around him without having to put himself in awkward social situations. Another way teens today are relatable to Holden is that we may try to be distinct in a crowd, but also invisible. We appreciate the opportunity to fade into the background when we are confused about how to act or act in a way that we would be accepted by those around us.

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To add on, Holden is not one to follow society’s rules. Holden is not the person to be engaged in what society calls “normal” because he is not necessarily a “normal” kid. Meaning, society believes kids around his age are interested in football games(3), going on dates (26), or just going to school (35). Society believes teenagers should attend school, and in Holden’s case, High School.

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