The Catcher in the Rye
J.D Salinger
In this coming of age novel, Holden Caulfield goes through
his life difficulties in descending who is phony and who is real. At 16, Holden is going through some problems
that require mental help, before receiving that help he goes through multiple situations
that make him question his sexuality, purpose, and whether he is ready to leave
his childhood and entering adulthood. Holden
has interactions with multiple people that he realizes he is unable to relate
to them. He views adulthood as a phony stage of life, and childhood holds the
realness that life has to offer, he see this through his sister who is the only
person who is not phony. This creates a conflict for him because he does not
quite fit with the adult world nor is he prepared to join.
What is high school without dealing with phoniness? When
teacher tell you what you have to do and constrain you in order to prepare for
freedom, seems like life is just a paradox. This novel is aimed for the student
who feel stuck in school, being underage you don’t quite have that much control
over yourself but you are being force to pick up on adult responsible. They may
feel like the weight of the world is on their shoulder, Holden offers a
connection that will reader to see that this is a transition. While many do
adjust or pretend to adjust nicely, there are some that find it difficult and that’s
okay. There are many resources that are available for them, mental health is something that needs to be
discuss. This novel is just the start of a discussion.
Pros:
·
During students high school years, there is a conflict
of power they are faced with. Going from 12 years of following rules and
regulations and especially their last four years deal with their “last years”
of childhood before they are released into adulthood where they no longer have
no one else to depend on but themselves, students may feel similarly to Holden.
Not feeling prepared to transition from elementary to high school to college,
they may feel conflicted and this book opens up a great discussions.
·
Open up a conversation for mental health
awareness
Cons:
·
It may be difficult to follow Holden’s stream of
thoughts
·
Mild swearing
Links
Where can you buy..
What is mental health?
Who is J.D Salinger and what affect did the time period have
on him?
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