Analysis

while i read this article, i found myself agreeing with much of what it said. i think that salinger's 'a catcher in the rye' depicted a troubled teenage boy who resembles, at least in part, all of teenager's today. holden often talks about 'phoniness' in the world. a lot of teenagers at holden's age are beginning to struggle with who they want to become. they are trying to figure out if they should give into the pressure of society or if they are still able to by true to themselves. holden is deperately trying not to give in, but throughout the book, he lies straight to people's faces. many people dont agree with the language and themes throughout 'a catcher in the rye', but these are things that teenagers deal with and think about sometimes. everyone has had to deal with them to some extent in their life. i think adults are too protective of children and teenagers. as said in the article, 'salinger's nivel in the ... most rounded ... portrait of a 16-year-old american boy we shall ever have.'