Catcher In The Rye Essay Thesis

The novel starts out with Holden telling the reader the flashback of three days he spent alone in New York City last winter. He was kicked out of Pencey Prep, the latest in a long string of exclusive boarding schools, and wanted to leave the school before his parents found out. Before Holden leaves, he is warned by his teacher that he is heading down a bad path, foreshadowing his later troubles. As Holden leaves his dorm, he shouts “Sleep tight, ya morons!”, and cries, although he doesn’t know why (Page 52) . Throughout the book Holden often has reactions like this, hating people but still wanting to be close to them. He takes the train into New York City, and heads for a hotel after being too scared of talking to his parents to call his little
Holden’s privilege even affects his relatability as a character. While many teenagers suffer from loneliness and depression, the majority of them do not have the spare change to spend three days in fancy hotels in New York instead of facing their problems. I believe teenagers can handle social criticism in novels, but such criticism might be more powerful if the commentator actually experienced the true negative effects of soceity, which Holden is usually unaware of. The language of the book is simple, reflecting the perspective of the teenage narrator as well as allowing the themes of the book to make an impact unencumbered by flowery prose. However, sometimes this simplicity, coupled with Holden's repetitive observations and emotions, make the book difficult to get swept up in. As a counterpoint to the main character’s causal entitlement and often drab prose of The Catcher in the Rye, I would suggest those who enjoyed the novel read Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. The novel has similar themes, but the main character is much more relatable and offers a more nuanced critique of society. Unlike Holden, the main character is actually a victim who faces real and terrible consequences due to her status in