"Get a Life, Holden Caulfield" and Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye"

Get a Life, Holden Caulfield
Name
Institution Affiliation
Get a Life, Holden Caulfield
“The Catcher in the Rye” is a narrative published in 1951 that showcases the story of a troubled, confused and alienated young man in Holden Caulfield. The protagonist narrates the story from what is assumed to be a mental hospital or sanatorium. He shares events that occurred in his life a few days before the end of the fall school term when he was sixteen years old. The book begins when Holden had just been expelled from his fourth school, Pencey prep for poor performance. He spends his last days in the school saying his goodbyes to friends and teachers. However he gets into a fight with his roommate and decides to run away from school to a town close to his home, checks himself into a hotel where adolescent emotions begin to get the better of him.
The book has been termed as a very beneficial read to teenagers because of the themes portrayed that they can easily relate. One aspect showcased is the painfulness of growing up that many teenagers are faced with. In the novel, Holden is scared of adulthood and even describes it as a world of “phoniness” and superficiality. He then relates childhood with innocence and honesty and tries as much as possible to resist the maturity process. Another theme in the novel is Holden’s use of alienation to protect himself. He feels that he doesn’t belong and considers himself very superior to interact with others and this acts as the major cause of most of his pain. He created a protective wall that prevents him from experiencing human love that he desperately needs. The protective wall further prevents him from addressing his emotions and discovering the source of his troubles. The other important theme to pick out from the novel is Holden’s view of adults as hypocrites and superficial (Hale, 2002). Holden is very keen and notes the superficial behaviors of those around him such as Mr. Spencer, Maurice and Sunny. It’s noted that he spends so much tim...