Published in 1951, J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, became a timeless novel that can be seen as more prudent today than it was in the fifties.

The novel comes from the perspective of sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield, who is recently expelled from his pretentious boarding school right before Christmas break. Unwilling to stay at the school where he views is inhabited by “phonies,” Holden leaves his school early in order to enjoy a few free days in New York City before he is punished by his parents.

During his time in New York City, Holden encounters a wide-ranging cast of characters that make him evaluate his own existence. Specifically, Holden dwells upon his maturity, as he wishes to be an innocent child again. While pondering upon his own existence, Holden also deals with the number of phonies that he encounters in his everyday life, which drives him into further alienation from those around him.

Since its publication, the novel sparked both praise and controversy. Many critics of the book note it for its realistic portrayal of confused and angst filled teenagers, which positively increased the novel’s reputation.

Although many critics showed enthusiasm for the novel, many people throughout the years viewed the content of the novel as obscene. Many criticize the novel over its abundant use of foul language, as well as the sometimes graphic use of sexual content. There were even many cases of the novel being taken out of schools for its content.

Nevertheless, The Catcher in the Rye remains one of the most praised novels of the twentieth century and has remained a crucial book to teenagers everywhere. However, in this day in age, the novel can appeal to a larger group of people

Before he even began writing the novel, Salinger was enlisted in the army during World War II. After serving in numerous battles, Salinger returned to the United States with severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, leading him to seek out a life of complete isolation.

The novel can be viewed as a sort of testimony to Salinger’s sense of isolation. Because Holden constantly evades others, even to the point of pure isolation, we can get a sense of Salinger’s own isolation at the time, and then need to evade those who are “phonies,” as Holden refers to those who do not understand in the novel.

This sense of the novel is extremely important for readers today. Because there are many reported cases of soldiers returning overseas and finding it hard to adjust to everyday civilian life, The Catcher in the Rye can be viewed as sort of a sample mindset of what others feel like when they are out of touch with their society.