Timeless Voice In Catcher In The Rye

As the world constantly changes with each generation, truly timeless pieces of literature are hard to come by. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger is almost 70 years old, and its relevance to the younger generation of today is highly disputed. In The New York Times editorial, “Reaching Holden Caulfield’s Grandchildren,” five people from differing professions give their opinions about whether or not 21st century teenagers can relate with Holden Caulfield. While most argue that his voice has become outdated and extraneous, many of today’s teens would beg to differ. The Catcher in the Rye resonates remarkably well with adolescents in this day and age. Even though the novel comes from a extremely different time period, Holden’s familiar feelings
He begins by revealing that some of his students are not so excited about the book, describing how some view Holden as a spoiled whiner, and that others complain that it has no “real plot.” Welsh also suggests that the book may even be a little “too close to the bone” with many teens, referring to the part of the novel where Holden describes why he has not yet lost his virginity. Welsh ends by explaining why it is a timeless novel: “For the kids who do love Catcher, I think the secret lies in the authenticity of Holden’s voice. The teen lingo may have changed over the years… but the hilarious, cynical, sometimes tender tone in Holden’s voice is timeless, not only for teenagers but for anyone who gets occasionally fed up with the ways of the world.” The credibility of Welsh regarding the novel’s appeal to teenagers is undeniable. Being a high school english teacher, he is surrounded by teens constantly, and gets to observe how they react to the novel every year. He also recognizes that not all teens enjoy the book, which is also true. His main point, however, is that Holden’s voice can be relatable to anyone, regardless of time period. I strongly agree. Certainly there many are superficial differences between adolescents from varying time periods, such as slang, fashion, and technology. However, the universal themes of
The fact that the novel is from the 1950’s is unrelated to Holden Caulfield’s convincing, pessimistic voice. Even though every generation grows up in a completely different world, it is certain that as teens, they all shared a cynicism and a hatred of hypocrisy, and this includes the teens of the 21st century. I am a heavy user of technology, along with most of the other teenagers around me. Yet, many of us (including myself) enjoyed the novel, and more notably, strongly related to Holden’s character. The world surrounding teenagers will inevitably change, but feelings of angst and alienation are inside every teen from any time. Holden displays such emotions after Ernie finishes his piano performance, “You should've heard the crowd, though, when he was finished. You would've puked. They went mad…. I swear to God, if I were a piano player or an actor or something and all those dopes thought I was terrific, I'd hate it. I wouldn't even want them to clap for me. People always clap for the wrong things” (Salinger 110). Holden’s cynical words sound as though they could have come from a sassy Snapchatting teen. He is quick to denounce the entire audience, revealing his angst and alienating himself. His familiar teenage struggles are not exclusive to the 1950’s, so it is no shock that The Catcher in the Rye resonates well with teens generation after