J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" in Today's Society: A Teenager's Perspective

Catcher in the Rye is about a teenager's difficult journey from childhood to adulthood. Sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield feels alienated from adult society, which he accuses of being 'phony.' Similarly, teenagers today have problems assimilating themselves into society. They possess both the immaturity of children, and the will to be independent of adults. Like Holden, teens today also resist conforming to society's norms. There are many Holden Caulfields in today's high schools, making Catcher in the Rye as relevant as ever.

Holden's choice of words illustrates his rebellion from adult society. His frustration with adults is characterized by his persistent use of words like "goddamn," "puked," "hell," "crap," and "moron." When Holden describes Jane's stepfather, he talks about how he would "run around the godd**n house naked" (32). He continues using this word when he tells the reader how Sally was conversing with a college friend: "they continued their godd**n boring conversation" (128). Today's teenagers also have their own language to separate themselves from their parents. Instant Messages are used by most teenagers today, and in the messages, teenagers will talk in abbreviations, such as "lol" for laughing out loud and "cya" for see you later. Rap is another example of teenage language today. Rap appeals to teenagers because it is something no other generation can claim. It is the diction of the 21st century teen.

Holden's ideology on sexuality shows both his adult and child-like sides. While staying at the hotel, Holden orders a prostitute. When the time comes around to have sex with her, Holden feels peculiar and says he had "an operation very recently" on his "clavichord" and he wasn't "in the mood" (96). He says he will still pay her, but he doesn't want to have sex. From this, one learns Holden's inner-adult wants to have sex, while his inner-child is afraid to. In fact, throughout the novel Holden fails to relate successfully to women. He tries to pick up three older women at a bar, who reject him because he's too young. He constantly makes excuses as to why he doesn't have sex with women. "I can never really get sexy...with a girl I don't like a lot...I sort of lose my godd**n desire for her and all...my sex life stinks" (148). Similarily, sex is a common issue for teens today. They talk a lot about it, although it's not clear what people are actually doing.

In addition, in his efforts to act like an adult, Holden spends a majority of time trying to get alcohol. When he finally succeeds, he becomes very intoxicated. "I kept sitting there getting drunk and waiting for old Tina and Janine to come out and do there stuff...I was getting drunk as hell...getting drunk as a bastard" (149). Teenagers today also place a priority on tabooed activities. They often try drinking or smoking to experience a part of adulthood.

Catcher in the Rye also relies heavily on metaphor to demonstrate Holden's discomfort with his "loss of innocence" and his rebellion against the adult world. Holden's red hunting hat symbolizes his criticism of adults. "This is a people shooting hat. I shoot people in this hat" (22). The ugliness of the hat also serves to separate him from society. At the end of the book, he says, "My hunting hat really gave me quite a lot of protection, in a way, but I got soaked anyway" (213). In other words, it represented his cynicism-a device that shielded him from the things that pained him in the world, although not completely. The carousel is used as a metaphor for childhood. Holden chooses not to get on the carousel with Phoebe. "It was playing 'Oh, Marie!' It played that same song about fifty years ago, when I was a little kid. That's one nice thing about carousels, they always play the same songs" (210). This lack of change appeals to Holden; he wants things to stay the way they are. This is why the sameness of the Museum of Natural History appeals to Holden. "The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move...Nobody'd be different. The only thing that would be different would be you" (121). The metaphor of the carousel is combined with the metaphor of the gold ring. "The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it...if they fall off, they fall off" (211). By the end of the book, Holden realizes that "going over the cliff" into adulthood is inevitable and necessary. The only alternative to maturing is to die young like his brother, Allie. Finally, the most significant metaphor is the title of the book, "Catcher in the Rye." Holden wants to be a catcher in the rye, even though he has misinterpreted the lyrics of the song. He wants to rescue kids from going over the cliff to adulthood.

There are many metaphors that define the 21st century teenager. While Holden uses the hat to separate himself, many high schools students do the same with clothing. For example, gothic-dressing students dress in black garments to stand out from their peers. Technology is also a metaphor for how teens distinguish themselves from their parents' generation. IM and cell phones enable teens to conceal parts of their lives from their parents. They act as a wall to separate teens from adult life. At the same time, teenagers' obsession with video games, particularly violent ones, is a metaphor for their journey from childhood to adulthood - their desire to play versus their desire to engage in adult situations.

In conclusion, Catcher in the Rye is as relevant today as it was when it was written, back in the 1940s. The teen years are difficult; it is the time when one undergoes the complex transformation from an innocent child to a mature adult. No matter the decade, teens experience a will to be independent, a desire for a unique identity, and a longing for meaning. Teens have to work hard in order to succeed at school and have a great deal of anxiety about failing, like Holden Caulfield.

So next time you see me in the classroom, just call me Holden.