The iconic book “The Catcher in the Rye,” penned by J.D. Salinger, chronicles the adventures of a disillusioned adolescent who has been expelled from multiple prep schools. Over the course of a few days, the story takes place as Holden makes his way through the streets of New York City while he wrestles with the difficulties of puberty and the fakery he sees in the adult world. Replete with a mixture of alienation, cynicism, and a need to maintain innocence, Holden makes for an engaging and nuanced narrator.
The book looks at issues like identity, losing one’s innocence, and trying to make friends in a world he perceives as fake and shallow. The continuing power of “The Catcher in the Rye” as a heartbreaking picture of the challenges and disillusionments of youth is largely due to Salinger’s storytelling technique and Holden’s distinctive voice.