The Catcher In The Rye by J. D Salinger is one of the best American novels of the fifties. The narrator and protagonist is a seventeen year old boy who is turning into an adult, and his transformation is marked by teenage confusion, agony, and his rebellious attitude.
Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, is a seventeen year old boy who narrates his story from a mental institution. The book is an account of his varied unpleasant experiences in New York City, after he is expelled from a high profile prep school.
Holden talks about his transformation into an adult and he freely discusses casual relationships, alcohol, and various other struggles that he comes to know of during his boyhood.
One of the bestselling novels in American literature, The Catcher In The Rye was written by the popular author J. D. Salinger and was published in 1951. The novel takes readers through the life of Holden Caulfield and walks them through instances from his life. Readers are made privy to lectures by his teachers, the struggles of his dorm life, his encounters with prostitutes, his casual relationships, and his time in a mental institution.
The novel has been banned time and again by parents and educators in the United States for its profane and sexual content, but interestingly, more than 2,50,000 copies are published every year due to popular demand. It has been translated into many major languages, and has also secured a position as one of the ‘100 Best Written English Novels’ in a list released by Time magazine.
