Book details
The Catcher in the Rye
by J.D. Salinger
1951 · St. Martin's Press
About the book
Holden Caulfield, a teenage boy recently expelled from Pencey Prep, wanders through New York City over a cold December weekend. He avoids returning home to his parents, opting instead to stay in cheap hotels and visit jazz clubs. Holden critiques the adult world as entirely insincere, specifically targeting his brother’s Hollywood career and the social expectations of his peers. His central desire involves protecting children from losing their innocence, an ambition he visualizes through the image of a field where he catches kids before they fall off a cliff.
Readers looking for an unvarnished account of teenage alienation and the transition into adulthood find a direct protagonist in Holden. Those who feel disconnected from societal norms use this narrative to identify the specific frustrations of growing up. A reader finishes the book with a clear perspective on the internal friction between childhood safety and the inevitable arrival of adult responsibility. It serves as a study of grief and the difficulty of communicating personal isolation.
Details
- Published
- 1951
- Publisher
- St. Martin's Press
- ISBN
- 9780878917525
- Language
- EN