The Catcher in the Rye: Story of a Troubled Teen

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J.D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher In The Rye, attempts to show the reader the life of a regular boy with troubles on his mind. The rich and troubled Holden Caufield is that boy. His parents are quite wealthy and want Holden to be successful in life as well, but they do not nurture Holden with the amount of love that is necessary. Holden feels the absence of love, which causes him to suffer a variety of emotional problems. Holden needs direction in his life because he constantly struggles to find the meaning of life on his own. Schools kick him out because he is not able to focus with all these issues in his life. With all this pressure he faces, Holden escapes from consciousness in what appears to be a psychological defect, but is just a severe lack of control in his life.

“After I got across the road, I felt like I was sort of disappearing. It was that kind of a crazy afternoon. Terrifically cold, and no sun out or anything, and you felt like you were disappearing every time you crossed a road” (Salinger 5). Holden feels like he is in another world from the beginning of the conversation. Holden always feels away from the world when he encounters conflict from society, school, or parents. His feeling of disappearing is a form of escape for him, and allows Holden to forget about anything he has trouble with at the moment. The illusion is self-imposed, and is a clear sign that he wants to do away with any type of pressure and enter a new world. Holden’s lack of focus and guidance forces him into a trap and the only way out is by dreaming.

One major problem is his constant neglect of guidance. While Mr. Spencer, his history teacher, talks to him in his hous...

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... child, but must protect only himself for now.

Holden Caufield is one example out of many troubled teenagers in the world and what they go through in life to make it. Not many people are willing to tell their life story in full detail and reveal all about themselves. It is personal and hard to tell someone. Holden has a hard time because his parents did not show a lot of affection due to their busy lives and their strive for perfection, which in turn does not allow Holden to listen carefully to their advice. He is also a spoiled child, which further deepens the problem. He does not see the real world and the real struggles in life to make him think twice. Instead he rides on other’s money and has his eyes blinded by it. Problems will always face him, but now he will tackle them with a matured mind.

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