The Catcher in the Rye

Another universal theme that J.D Salinger, the author of the novel The Catcher in the Rye, used may be solely directed at teenagers and young adults. The story is told from the point of view of Holden Caulfield, who is a sixteen year old boy. The writing style makes the reader feel like they are having a conversation with a teenage boy because of the use of words and his attitude. For younger readers, it is easy to understand and relate to him. This could be the author’s way of making sure this certain universal theme gets across to the reader. I think that J.D Salinger wanted teenagers to read this book, understand where Holden was coming from or going through, and realize that he was being a little more difficult than he should have been. Holden is stubborn, and we see this through his acts of staying away from home and his problems for as long as possible. He also feels like everyone and everything is out to get him, which everyone sometimes feel. As the reader recognizes these similar feelings of wanting to run away from their problems, they start to see that Holden is being immature. Nothing he does is practical. He only stays away from the safety of his home, interacts with complete strangers, and blows all of the money that he has. All the while, he is thinking how, deep down, he needs to go home. This may be a lesson and a wake up call that even if you do not want to do something, it is better to get it over with than to be stupid and waste your time. If the reader finds themselves running away from their problems, they may think back to Holden Caulfield from this novel and remember how annoying it was to read about how he was making the situation ten times worse for himself. It almost seems like J.D Salinger wanted to scare his readers into doing the right thing by making a character they can relate to, and then show them what an idiot he is.