Book Review Writing Assignment: The Catcher in the Rye

        Book Review: The Catcher in the Rye Name Institution Date    In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is alienated having been in a mental institution and expelled from school and seems surprising that his tribulations mostly associated with the sickening society around him. Caulfield is detached, but his disintegration seems to be the fault of the adults who are pretenders, and it is as though he is a victim. I do not understand why the character’s flaws are downplayed and also not directly linked with his estrangement from loved ones and the society. Personal misfortunes do not seem to be Caulfield‘s faults, but for someone who runs away from problems rather than confront them, he is partly to blame for his situation. Caulfield is alienated from the school mates, teachers, and family some whom he considered phonies (Evans, 2009). However, he also was not sure what he wanted in life and this could explain why he moved from hotel to hotel and other places trying to find meaning in life.  As an uncertain teenager, Holden wanted the society to accept him as he was, but since he could not trust anyone it is unexpected that Salinger places all the blame to the society for the character’s alienation.  The world around Caulfield was full of superficial people wanting superficial things, but in standing alone he fails to agree with many of the people he meets further alienating him even while engaging in underage dirking and allowing a young prostitute into his hotel room (Salinger, 2015). Caulfield was restless and rebellious and while he saw that other characters did not lead a fulfilling life, he did not have any plan in life or values that influenced him. The adolesc...