How Is Holden Caulfield Relevant Today

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The Relevance of The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, shows great relevance towards the teenagers of the 21st century, even though the novel was written during the 1950’s. The novel focuses on main character Holden, his development through the course of the book which included his delinquent tendencies. These were manipulated to express Salinger’s views of teens and society during that time. The Catcher in the Rye is still relevant today because teen culture from the 1950’s can be correlated with that of the culture of present day teenagers.
Holden’s sole purpose in the novel was to symbolize an average 1950’s disobedient teenager. His attire didn’t match that of the everyday 1950’s teen. He wore his hat backwards, cussed with words like “crumby” and “goddamn” and don’t forget his arsenal of slang terms which persisted of terms like “bucks”(dollars) and “chew the rag”(talk). Holden smokes …show more content…

The rebelliousness of Holden is the main catch for teenagers. As we mature we strive for more independence causing us to rebel against authority figures such as parents and teachers. However, Salinger made Holden rebellious, but severely went overboard. For instance, Holden didn’t just do badly in school; he got expelled because he was doing so badly. Statistics aren’t needed to show that kids who don’t find school a pleasing venue will do bad. Holden is a perfect example of this.
The Catcher in the Rye may also be a warning to students following in a similar disastrous path as Holden’s. The way Holden was developed and formulated made it inevitable that he would be up to no good. Teens as smart and as fatigued by school as Holden will soon figure out that their actions have reactions and they should be accountable for it by understanding why they have been consequence. The Catcher in the Rye would be beneficial towards today’s teens making better choices in

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