Catcher In The Rye Adolescence

It comes as no surprise to anyone that teenagers are sometimes naturally moody, angst-ridden, and emotional as they transition from childhood to adulthood. No one, that is, but teenagers. For adolescents such as myself, the shifting position that teenagers come to in these years is awkward at best, and painful at worst. The sudden responsibility and pressure thrust upon a teenager in the latter years of high school (and often before) is near impossible to easily adjust to, especially when there is no real preparation offered. When left at the confusing crossroads of a seemingly transitory crisis, teenagers are faced with serious internal and external conflicts, often manifest in manic-depressive and abusive tendencies, as displayed in Salinger’s
protagonist, Holden Caulfield. Because of the frank and resonating nature of the book, The Catcher in the Rye should be taught in schools, since the character of Holden is offered not as an ideal, but as a parallel to the strife of teenagers facing similar psychological sensitivities.

Because students and teachers alike have firmly advocated the continued involvement of Catcher in school curricula, there is of course a strong opposition to be considered as well. Since it would be unwise to disregard the legitimate concerns held by those who revile the book in question, the viewpoint held by people with a firm, logical basis is worth reviewing. The argument presented by naysayers is that Catcher is simply too vulgar for consumption by teens, who are viewed as overly susceptible to such negative influences. It is absolutely true that Holden Caulfield smokes like a chimney and swears like a sailor; Holden abuses alcohol to excess as a means of coping and even employs a sex worker out of sheer loneliness and desperation. Holden might say “goddam” upwards of five times per page, but this only serves to further characterize him as a parallel for a fragile adolescent psyche (Someguy). Using severe language so frequently reflects upon a deeper lack of understanding of the term modified by the curse, a device common among teenagers who may be confused by what they face. Moreover, suggesting that any presentation of what are traditionally known as vices, especially in the depressing context of Catcher, would immediately sway teenagers to pursue such habits is simply disparaging towards teenagers. We are not fools; we are able to recognize that Holden’s vices are rooted in poor coping skills and mental duress and are not some glamorous ideal to aspire to. The narrative of the book is intended to point out Holden’s flaws and to warn against becoming so jaded and lost in the midst of adolescence. It is for the exact reasons that people protest that Catcher should be taught in schools; teenagers should be able to empathize with the literature they consume and synthesize new perspectives based on something relevant to their own lives.

Because the angry, awkward character of Holden Caulfield is used as a metaphor for a transitioning teenage psyche, Salinger creates a poignant narrative for readers to resonate with and reflect upon.
From the way he speaks to the way he carries himself, Holden, while presented as an outsider of his own society, represents the internal struggles faced by teenagers as they transition from childhood into the responsibilities of adulthood. As teenagers, it is exceptionally easy to feel as though we are different from everyone around us, despite that often not being the case. The influences of social norms, school policies, and societal structures are a strong negative influence on Holden throughout the novel, just as they are a massive weight upon almost all teenagers. I do not mean to imply that one well-written character could speak for entire generations of young people, however, it is the universality and multitude of the problems manifest in Holden that make him such a ubiquitously resonant character in our minds. Holden is a complex young man whose past is convoluted and whose experiences have made him wary. As previously mentioned, Holden uses strong language, such as “goddam” to excess throughout the novel, a mannerism very similar to teenagers today (Someguy). This constant use of swears as a modifier actually serves to highlight a deeper lack of understanding toward the thing being cursed in the first place. With Holden, it is plain to see that his view of the world
around him has been warped and that this makes him resentful and distrusting of anything he thinks is “phony”. Having encountered these same tendencies in myself and my peers, I can attest that the frustrated use of strong language generally comes from the inevitable lack of worldly experience that we have as young people, otherwise we might be able to approach situations with better judgement, thereby preventing an upset, knee-jerk reaction. Salinger’s diction in the way of curses is generous, however it offers a deepened acumen towards the way we as teenagers respond to more petty grievances. On the author’s part, this repetitive verbiage is insightful than superfluous; it serves to accentuate the more infantile aspects of the teen thought process, not to offend readers or create a shock value. Such understanding for the ego of adolescents is illuminary as to why the novel should be taught in schools, especially since the teenage readers are likely to respond shrewdly to a character that resembles them both in speech and meaning.

When we reach a certain point in our development as adolescents, a great ostracization occurs; teenagers are too smart for other, younger kids, but we lack the experience for adults to respect us. With this conundrum, it is exceptionally difficult to refrain from questioning our place in the world and diving head first into an infinite pit of existential despair. In Catcher, Holden has a deep fixation on the ducks in the pond in Central Park, specifically, where they go in the winter when the water is frozen over. Upon questioning his cab driver about the ducks, the cab driver responds by implying that the ducks don’t particularly matter, but that it’s alright because the fish are fine all winter in the pond (Salinger 91-92). Holden’s steadfast inquiries about the ducks reveal the whole pond scenario to be a symbol of society, its inhabitants, and how estranged Holden feels from it all. When the cab driver disregards the ducks, rather insisting that the fish are ok, he is actually referring to the idea that those who simply just exist within the stasis of society are fine and that no mind should really be paid to someone who does not. The ducks, which can exist both on land and in water, are, like teenagers, important to the ecosystem, but their inconsistency leads them to reap little concern from the other inhabitants. This disparity in attitudes toward fish as opposed to ducks parallels the way that teenagers are often disregarded when they appear to differ from societal norms and act as misfits. Salinger very cleverly presents this symbol to readers so as to provide us with a simplistic way of seeing the disparaging view society has on misfit teens. To suggest that such literary brilliance should be negated by involvement of a sex worker (who serves a deeper purpose) or the recurrence of underage drinking (also of allegorical significance) is completely bogus, especially if the argument is that these things are a corruptive influence (Chasan 1). The author’s scintillating manner of writing, especially in convoluted symbols and metaphors, displays not only the engaging similarities that Holden Caulfield presents to teen readers, but the intellect in literature created by Salinger, making the novel doubly relevant to teach to high school students.

Perhaps the argument against having The Catcher in the Rye as part of a high school curriculum is poetic.
After all, the book focuses heavily on the alienation felt by teenagers as they transition into adulthood and banning one of the few books taught in school that we might resonate with is more or less completely in synchronicity with the view of adults presented in the book. However, such philosophical digressions can be benched for another day. What my peers and I know is that being a teenager is hard. Being in a place where you are widely misunderstood by anyone outside of your age group is frustrating at the least and can be completely ruinous. By exposing us to a work of literature that not only is technically advanced and well-written, but is sonorous to the reader's psyche, a profound opportunity to truly impact the way a teen reader feels is created. To dismiss such an opportunity because of some ridiculous “American pastime” of denying literature based on superficial discrepancies with what society deems as appropriate is ignorant of the intelligence that teens possess and can apply to literature that has the potential to affect us more
deeply.