Thesis Report from The Catcher in the Rye

In J. D. Salinger's portrayal of a troubled teenager in The Catcher in the

Rye, the main character, Holden Caulfield, comes to reality whenever a difficult

situation has impacted him greatly. These difficult situations for him include the

physical and mental arguments that he has with a few of the other characters

in the book, the loss of an "authorized figure'' in his life, and Holden's own view

upon the innocence of younger children (such as Phoebe Caulfield).

Holden, a depressed young teenager, lost in the midst of New York City,

leads him to see the reality of life. For example, on page 43, Holden is infuriated

when Stradlater tells him of his date with Jane:

"What'd you do?'' I said. "Give her the old time in Ed Banky's goddam car?"
My voice was shaking something awful.
-pg. 43

In this quote, Holden is mentally disappointed in finding that Jane's innocence

may have been sha...