The Catcher in the Rye Blog 8

The Catcher in the Rye accurately reflects the attitudes of youth in the 1950s.  Following World War II, many teenagers were trying to fit in to a changing society.  Holden’s story put to words what many of these adolescences were struggling with.  Finding ones identity might not have meant running away from school, but every child went through this point in their life.  The Catcher in the Rye became a controversial success immediately following its release.  “It was a hugely popular bestseller and general critical success. Salinger’s writing seemed to tap into the emotions of readers in an unprecedented way. As countercultural revolt began to grow during the 1950s and 1960s, The Catcher in the Rye was frequently read as a tale of an individual’s alienation within a heartless world. Holden seemed to stand for young people everywhere, who felt themselves beset on all sides by pressures to grow up and live their lives according to the rules, to disengage from meaningful human connection, and to restrict their own personalities and conform to a bland cultural norm. Many readers saw Holden Caulfield as a symbol of pure, unfettered individuality in the face of cultural oppression. “(Sparknotes 1).  J.D. Salinger believed that responsibilities existed between family members, and more specifically, siblings.  Throughout the book Holden is seen thinking about or talking to his siblings.  They are people who he trusts he can vent on, and he knows they will not share his secrets.  This sort of trust is not seen between very many groups.  Being a sibling is a mutual agreement.  There are times when they do not get along, but when it comes down to it, it is all about caring for each other.  Holden and Phoebe showed that they had a very close relationship when she stopped him from running away.  It is apparent that J.D. Salinger’s past had the biggest influence over this book.  His memories of growing up are what shaped many of the ideas and values he shares in this book. 

"The Catcher in the Rye." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 13 Aug. 2012. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/catcher/context.html.

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and, 1991. Print.