The Catcher in the Rye

Ever since its publication in 1951, J.D. Salinger\'s The Catcher in the Rye has served as a cornerstone for controversy and debate. It is a story of a teenager growing up in New York, who has been expelled from school for poor grades. In an attempt to deal with this, he leaves school a few days prior to the end of term, and goes to the city to take a vacation before returning to …

…alone contradicts most of his actions through out the book. Only Salinger will ever completely understand all of the character\'s complexities and flaws. He penned Holden to be purposely puzzling; to evade all attempts to pin him down to one stereotype. Through his actions and reactions to society and others, Holden demonstrates to the reader the theme of acceptance, illustrated throughout the novel. Holden speaks his mind, which the average teenage reader values highly.