Monday, December 5, 2011

Catcher in the rye-Holden as a universal teen

Holden Caufield is a universal teenager because he has all of the thoughts and feelings that most typical teenagers have felt, and still feel. The difference with Holden is that his feelings are more extreme and, in many cases, more negative, because he has just experienced the untimely death if his young brother Allie. The reason why the book is so popular is because many young people can identify with Holden. Throughout the book, he feels lost, angry at society, rebellious, and he questions himself and who he is, which i think every teen feels at one time or another. Holden talks about girls, and how other guys treat girls, and what is right and wrong in that respect, establishing his values in how he respects women. In the same scene, he is kind of judgmental and uses a lot of sarcasm, which is most times the basis of teen humor, I.e. "I was sitting on his stupid towel" "Stratlader was hardly listening. He was combing his gorgeous locks" (Salinger 31-32).
Holden is a universal teen also because of the way he goes through his grief after Allie's death, and how he can't let go of him. A lot of teens have a hard time letting go of things-big things or small things.