... theme for many novels, but J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the 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 ... teenager, yet it also seems to belong individually to Holden. The...

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

... 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, coupled with his monotonous career, through the use of drugs and participation in the infamous New York City nightlife of the 1980's. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden escapes problems at school and the societal pressure to grow up by running ... of yourself, of watching yourself in the world even as you were being in the ...

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