Catcher In The Rye Critical Lens

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“Oh, I feel some concern for my future, all right. Sure. Sure, I do. But not too much, I guess. Not too much, I guess,” this quote was stated by J.D. Salinger’s main character Holden within his novel The Catcher in the Rye (Salinger 20). The novel is centered around Holden’s adventures after being kicked out of the highly acclaimed Pencey Boarding School. During a three day period after being expelled, Holden explores New York City as he avoids his parents until they receive notice of him flunking out. Holden travels throughout the city meeting numerous people ranging from prostitutes to nuns. Holden tries to genuinely find his true character, while dismissing any thoughts of his future. Therefore, J.D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye …show more content…

Most readers will not being going through the same exact circumstances, however the novel is written to teach a lesson to all. Holden may be struggling as he flunks out of his third private boarding school, yet the story remain applicable to everyone. Through the experiences detailed with “The Catcher in the Rye,” the author wants readers to understand that they are not alone with their frustrations. Every single person deals with moments of failure during their lifetime, and Holden is just dealing with it during his adolescent years of high school. Furthermore, Holden services as a mechanism to reveal that being frustrated with different aspects of you life is perfectly normal. For Holden, he is disappointed with his social interaction and alienation he faces, yet uses this to show no one is genuinely alone with their feelings. There are people experiencing very similar circumstances to others, thus people should avoid feeling isolated like Holden does. “The Catcher in the Rye” uses the main character Holden as a tool to relate to readers to show that being frustrating with aspects of your life is completely

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