Why do we still read this book today? Is it's sole purpose in this existence to torture the minds on overly asked questions towards high school students? No, I do not think so. This book was different than the others. Holden Caulfield is a teenager which automatically makes him an extremely easy character to relate to. It is a classic coming of age story in which all people can relate to at some point in their lifetime. He seems to be a normal teenager with all of the problems he is having. Teenagers have problems and then they try to fix them. This is the whole entire life of a teenager! Even though he thinks that he does not really act his age, he really is. We are the moodiest people on the planet as a collective group! The message of this book, growing up to fast, is best told by a teenager. If it were told from the perspective of an adult I think that it would have a sense of maturity that teens do not have yet. When Holden tells the story teenagers that are teens now can relate to it and adults that were teens at some point can relate to it. I think that writing it this way makes for a more whimsical story that is humorous and fun to read. He is also pretty crass which leads to that little bit of spice and attitude people like their characters to have in a novel. All of the things I just listed make for a great novel. It has a great coming of age story, funny characters, real scenarios, and it seems just like a true story! I think that it will forever be held as a classic. All teenagers should read this as their right of passage into the world just so they know that they are not alone in this struggle.
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print.
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