How Is Forever Young In Catcher In The Rye

Forever Young

J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is a novel about a boy, Holden Caulfield, who is a perfect representation of modern day teenagers. This novel has made me look at my life and realize that I need to start to grow up more so that I’m not like Holden and the other teenagers in the world. Caulfield is going through a difficult time trying to figure out where he belongs in the world. He believes that it is him against the world. Just like many other teenagers, Holden Caulfield feels lonely and isolated, fears the future, doesn’t act his age, and tries to gain others acceptance.

Many young people often find themselves struggling to find their own identity and place in society. This search leaves young people feeling lonely and isolated from their surroundings. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is on the verge of having a nervous breakdown because of his loneliness.

One of the reasons that

Caulfield feels lonely is because of his lack of friends. Holden thinks that everyone is either corny or a phony. He dislikes phonies because he believes that they are people who act like someone they aren’t and he doesn’t like corny people because they won’t take any risks and they are all about manners and doing the right thing. He also thinks that he is better than everyone else and he judges people too soon. For example, Holden does not like his roommate because he has a generic leather suitcase. Most teenagers are picky in this way just like Holden. Teens act as if others must live up to their expectations and that they are better than them no matter what.
Another reason is because he longs for his younger brother who passed away from Leukemia at the age of eleven.

Holden was close with his brother, Allie and he idolizes him. There are many young adolescents out there who have lost loved ones and it has affected them greatly.

Holden Caulfield is afraid of the adult world, which is something all young adults fear. Many teens fear the future because they do not know what to expect. Holden is afraid of his future because of this and because he does not want to grow up. He is also afraid of the change and the struggle that comes along with this change. This is very common in average teenagers as start to grow up.

A lot of young adults are unprepared to enter the adulthood because of their maturity levels. For example, Holden lied to the mother of one of his classmates because he found her attractive. His habit of lying exemplifies his child-like behavior especially when he does it at unnecessary times. There is a very large amount of the youth population who has this same childish

habit.
It is very common for adults to tell younger people to “grow up” or “act their age.” This is because most teens do not want to grow up and mature. Holden Caulfield says he doesn’t want to lose his childhood innocence; therefore, he does not act his age. He even said, “And yet I still act sometimes like I was only about twelve. Everybody says that, especially my father. It’s partially true, too, but it isn’t all true. I don’t give a damn, except that I get bored sometimes when people tell me to act my age” (Salinger 12).
Another way Holden Caulfield relates to average modern day teenagers is because he attempts to gain acceptance from others. Whether teens are looking for acceptance of their opinions or just their presence, they are always trying to be accepted into the society. Many young adults struggle with this because a lot of adults don’t notice all the things that others do just for their attention or acceptance. Teens try to gain acceptance from others by showing the good that they have to offer but a lot of times adults don’t even notice. For that reason, Caulfield says, “Sometimes I act a lot older than what I am-I really do-but people never notice it. People never notice anything” (Salinger 12).
Overall, J.D. Salinger’s main character, Holden Caulfield has become an icon for the average teenager. He relates to many teens since he is going through difficult times. Caulfield feels very lonely and isolated from society because of the loss of his brother and his lack of friends like many other teens. He also fears the future because he does not want to grow up. Finally, like average teens, Holden tries really hard to get other people to accept him. All in all Holden Caulfield is a perfect representation of average teenagers because of his loneliness, fear of the future, immaturities, and attempts to gain others acceptance.