The Catcher in the Rye is a classic coming-of-age story, authored by J.D. Salinger. Told from the perspective of Holden Caulfield, a 16-year-old struggling to mature in the world around him. Salinger’s impressive writing is expressed in this book as he pours emotion and character growth into the plot of a few days that the story spans. As someone the same age as Holden, I can deeply appreciate the level of detail Salinger goes into about things that every teen goes through, and to allow the reader to see the full complexity of Holden’s character and journey packed into this novel. The relatability is a reason I looked forward to reading this book, since I already have some understanding of Holden from the start as someone the same age, and I was curious to see his perspective about how this time of his life played out. 

Holden takes you through three rough days of his rebellious and depressed phase of adolescence, after being expelled from flunking another school, of several. A few days before Christmas break, he decides to wander into nearby New York City to escape the troubles he has with maturity, but he ends up wandering into the lowest point of his young life. He approaches most things in life with an unmotivated and critical attitude. Holden also reveals to us that his little brother had died years ago, giving insight that he has still not moved on from his grief and childhood memories from that time, affecting his personality and struggles in maturing. The ability for readers, especially adolescents, to relate to Holden strongly is what has allowed this book published in 1951 to remain a timeless classic. It illustrates a time in everyone’s life that can be so full of change, and the majority of the book is Holden being a rebellious and cynical teenager struggling to deal with that change. I highly recommend this book to any high school student or adolescent, or anyone struggling to move on in life, as this is one of the most relatable books you can read in classic literature in my opinion.  

I don’t want to make this novel seem like nothing but a depressing and gloomy story. Sure, Holden gets carried away with criticizing everyone and overusing the word “phony,” or getting drunk at night and wandering out into the cold Central Park, but like anyone having trouble growing out of childhood, he has a roller coaster of emotions. That is why I truly appreciate the way Salinger portrays Holden. He is not the cliché emotional teenager represented in most media today. Holden’s character is intelligent, yet confused, rebellious, yet caring. The complexity of his character and emotion is truly what makes him relatable and realistic, and is what can even make this novel inspiring as you see him grow and reflect on this time of his life. Salinger best formed this in the resolution of the story, where he ultimately builds up his message about coming to terms with growing up through the visible evolution of Holden’s narrative and attitude. 

The Catcher in the Rye portrays the emotions anyone can undergo in stages of moving on, through the eyes of an adolescent. From criticism and frustration to sadness and loneliness, Holden is not just relatable, his character embodies a journey of emotions that we all face at some point in growing up. Seeing Holden’s entire journey through and how he grows as a person gives any reader a heartwarming message, and even some lessons, about growing up.