... Rye, long a staple in academic lesson plans, has captured the spirit of this stage of life in hyper-sensitive form, dramatizing Holden Caulfield's vulgar language and melodramatic reactions. Written as the autobiographical account of a fictional teenage prep school student Holden Caulfield, The Catcher in the Rye deals with material that is socially scandalous for its time. As an emotional, intelligent, inquisitive, ... and painfully sensitive young man, Holden puts his inner world to the test through the sexual mores of his peers and elders, the ... the New York Times, accurately captu...

• Word Count: 3426
• Approx Pages: 14
• Grade Level: High School

... in turn, embark on a journey that leads to both self-identification and maturation. The Narrator in Jay McInerney's Bright Lights, Big City, and Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, are two such characters. In Bright Lights, Big City, the Narrator escapes family and marriage problems, ... are insecure, and, above all, people who are "phony." He feels that almost nobody is genuine, and that everybody, specifically adults, is "phony."" Holden applies the term "phony" to those who conform to society and have ulterior motives, which he explains to Pheobe when he contem...

• Word Count: 3026
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School