The Catcher in the Rye
Summary
The Catcher in the Rye
A young-adult novel on the loss of innocence, isolation and alienation, morality, mental health, sexual confusion, youth and the painfulness of growing up. The Catcher in the Rye tells a story of teenage frustration and the way 17-year-old Holden perceives the world. Expelled from his private school, he goes to New York City, wandering the streets and looking for human interaction – but disappoints everybody he meets…
The novel’s context of publication raised a debate about book censorship in the US – this might be a topic one could contextualise and discuss with the class.
Critical edition
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Penguin, 2010. 240 pp., ISBN 9780241950425