Teenagers struggle to feel accepted into society.

The main reason they do not feel

accepted is because they do not accept themselves. In The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger,

Holden Caulfied has trouble accepting himself while trying to be accepted into society. At

school, Holden feels that everyone is a phony and he does not like anyone there. When Holden is

out in New York, he tries to act like a mature adult but fails at it. Holden acts professionally

when he is talking to a woman over the phone but can never finish anything in person. By

analyzing the character Holden in J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, we understand that we

must accept ourselves before we are accepted into society.

Many teenagers dislike school. They may be lazy or they may feel that they do not fit in.

Holden feels he is not accepted at Pencey. He does not like the school, so he does not try in his

classes. Holden does also not like the people at Pencey. He thinks that everyone there is a phony

or a moron. Because of all of this, Holden flunks out of Pencey. Holden decides to leave before

he has to because of how he feels about everyone. Just before he leaves, he decides to let

everyone know how he feels. “SLEEP TIGHT, YA MORONS!” As Holden is leaving he yells

this down the corridor. Holden was not accepted in that school. He thought he was more mature

than everyone else.

I am a teenager. Being a teenager is not the easiest time in life. You are no longer a child

but not yet an adult. Holden is going through this time in his life. He tries to be mature and act

like an adult, but fails at it. “ I ordered a scotch and soda and I told him not to mix it… the waiter

asked for ID so I ordered a soda instead.” (69). Holden trying to order alcohol shows how he

wants to fit in with other adults in society. “My sex life stinks”. (148). Holden says this when

talking to an older friend. Holden talks to him about his sex life because he wants to be able to be

like other adults and how to act when he is with a woman.

 I go to an all boys school. I do not talk to women often as I do not see them a lot. Holden

also goes to an all boys school. Because of the school he goes to, he has no clue how to act when

a girl is around. Holden’s main problem is he is too urgent to get ‘sexy’ with girls. “ I decided to

call this girl Faith Cavendish… she didn’t mind doing it every once in a while.” (63). Holden

does not care who the girl is over the phone but when she shows up he does not know how to act.

“The trouble was I just didn’t want to do it.” (96). Holden could act like he was mature all he

wanted, but he really was not.

Feeling accepted into society is difficult for teenagers. They struggle with many things

which may make them feel like they are not accepted. In The Catcher in the Rye by J. D.

Salinger through Holden we can see that we have to accept ourselves before we are accepted into

society. When Holden is at school, he does not feel he belongs there, so he leaves. Holden tries to

be a mature adult in New York, but discovers he is not ready for that. Holden acts professional

over the phone with a woman but does not know how to act when he is with one in person. I

hope that in the future all teenagers will feel accepted and not feel like they have a lot of pressure

on them.
 WORKS CITED

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Bantam Books. 1951.