Some people believe that adolescent experiences determine the kind of person one will become in the future, however, there are many facts one must first look upon. As an adolescent, an ... struggles with the rules of society, growing up, and forgetting about the past. Holden's background history is the leading cause of his struggles to find a pathway to adulthood. In his past, he had flunked out of three private prep schools, experienced the death of his younger brother, Allie, and faced the expectations put upon him by ... help deal with the pressures of growing up. The way he looked over A...

• Word Count: 930
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... in American literature is overcoming adversity. In contrast, J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye presents readers with a character who falls short of every tough situation he faces. J.D. Salinger uses Holden's rebellious experiences to link all teenagers in the 1950's and the 1960's together. Holden is unwilling to cooperate, socially and scholastically, which brings about mental and physical problems. His story resonates within ... the teenage community because he reveals likely challenges teens endure while bridging the gap between adolescence and adulthood. Through his failures, he mo...

• Word Count: 817
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... Salinger's Catcher in the Rye presents readers with a character who falls short of every tough situation he faces. J.D. Salinger uses Holden's rebellious experiences to link all teenagers in the 1950s and the 1960s together. Holden is unwilling to cooperate, socially and scholastically, which brings about mental and physical ... problems. His story resonates within the teenage community because he reveals likely challenges teens endure while bridging the gap between adolescence and adulthood. Through his failures, he motivates readers to step out of their comfort zone, forget their chil...

• Word Count: 852
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... connotation of the preservation of innocence and the pursuit of compassion. With certain elegance the writer J.D. Salinger, substantiates the growth and perils, which lie between childhood and adulthood. Embellishing the separation between innocence and squalor in the grasps of society. The bridge that lies between these contrasting themes are personified through the novel's protagonist, Holden ... and evil; childhood is good, the only pure good, but it is surrounded by perils, the cliff of adolescence over which the children will plunge in the evil of adulthood unless stopped. But finall...

• Word Count: 1050
• Approx Pages: 4

... by Jerome David Salinger illustrates events of a troubled childhood of a teenager, named Holden Caulfield. Holden presents difficulty in his transition from youth to adulthood. He reveals very confused image throughout the novel and doesn't know how to handle the fact that he has to grow up and become a ... what has happened in Salinger's life is discretely inserted in the novel using Holden's character. Salinger has written the novel to somehow demonstrate past experiences in his life without having to let the reader know that he was writing about himself. Therefore Holden serves as a...

• Word Count: 1247
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... . Later when Holden sneaks into his parent's apartment to speak to Phoebe, he defines his desire to "catch" children from falling off a metaphorical cliff into the corruption of adulthood. At the conclusion of the novel, Holden realizes the true nature of innocence while watching Phoebe reach for the golden ring on the carousel. Walking down the streets of New ... that people should be left to decide their own fate. In the same manner as Holden, people will travel through their lives gaining vast amounts of knowledge and have many experiences. All of this will influence their thoughts an...

• Word Count: 987
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... Mr. Antolini to be making a homosexual advance toward him, Holden leaves his apartment, and spends the rest of the night on a bench in Grand Central Station. The next day Holden experiences the worst phase of his nervous breakdown. He wanders the streets, looking at children and talking to Allie. He tries to leave New York forever and hitchhike west, but when ... ; his cynicism is his attempt to protect himself from the pain and disappointment of the adult world. As the novel opens, Holden stands poised on the cliff separating childhood from adulthood; his damaged innocence also leaves h...

• Word Count: 1065
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School