The Catcher In The Rye Stylistic Analysis

Exploring the Parallelisms of The Catcher in the Rye J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is one of the most widely read novels in American Literature due to its highly relatable material; so relatable, in fact, the novel’s parallelisms have perpetuated since its origin. Teenagers particularly connect with the novel’s depiction of the “adult world” and also the novel’s portrayal of the transition between childhood and adulthood. In addition, the novel resonates with adults because having grown up in the 1950’s, they endured many of the same struggles as the protagonist, Holden Caulfield (Yahya 1; Han 1). Throughout the novel, Holden battles with what he calls the “phoniness” of the adult world, which is essentially the pretentious nature of adults that …show more content…
One moment Holden is conversing about potential fantasies with women and eventually when a sexual opportunity arises, Holden’s anxiety takes over and causes him to freeze and ultimately lose his chance with the woman. In Holden’s world, and in our world, the transition between childhood and adulthood is often marked by sexual activity and Holden exemplifies this by his hesitancy (Yahya 2). An additional mark of transition for Holden that resonates with real world teenagers is the death of Holden’s brother Allie due to cancer. Comparably, the death resonates with a plethora of society and like Holden, memories of the deceased constantly reoccur, thus deepening the void no one else in society can fulfill (Yahya 3). The Catcher in the Rye remains a symbol for American youth because the struggles exhibited in the novel present extremely similar problems of the typical American teenager. Additionally, the novel serves as nostalgia for numerous adults who shared experiences similar to Holden (Han 1). In conclusion, The Catcher in the Rye will prevail against the literary monster of time due to its everlasting universal material that parallels to each of our