Literary Analysis: "Catcher in the Rye"

The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is a prime example of coming-of-age fiction. The novel was published in 1951 by Little Brown and Company. Within its 214 pages, Salinger draws readers into the world of Holden Caulfield, a troubled adolescent searching for his purpose in life.

As the novel unfolds, the reader is brought back to a 1950’s time frame. The main character and protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is introduced. Holden is a student who has just been kicked out of Prep School in Pennsylvania and decides to go back home to New York for the holiday weekend. Once there, he embarks on random journeys throughout the city: meeting new friends, catching up with old ones, and accounting it all within the novel. Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, the point of view remains first person.

In the exposition, the reader gains insight into the mind of Holden. At Pencey Prep ...