Alexander Lee
Staff Writer

On January 27, 2010 an outstanding American author, J.D Salinger, passed away due to natural causes. He was ninety-one at the time, and the day marked an end to a legend of American literature.

Salinger was not the most prolific of authors, for he only published one major work: The Catcher in the Rye. Nonetheless, he still imparted his legacy onto society by selling over sixty-five million copies of this novel.

The Catcher in the Rye, which is a part of the sophomore curriculum, encompasses the struggles of Holden Caulfield, a sardonic protagonist searching for unfathomable realities. Yet, it is more than just that; the book is said to be the birth of the “modern teenagers”.

The novel captures the “teenage-limbo” years to a tee. In a time of strict social expectations, Holden finds it difficult to relate to others because he is in the middle: neither a child nor an adult. This awkward middle ground is something that most high school students experience one time or another, which is perhaps the reason why the novel is so relatable and thus popular.

Yet, it is the writing itself that intrigues some readers the most. The Catcher in the Rye is written as if it were an autobiography. Every detail, even a trivial one, is stated so passionately and so precisely that readers like WA sophomore Aditya Shankar feel as if “(they) are listening to a friend’s personal story”.

Salinger’s past accounts for this miraculous genuineness. Just like Holden Caulfield, Salinger went from private school to private school- failing out of each one. Also, he admitted in a rare interview that the book was “sort-of autobiographical”.

Furthermore, Westford Academy’s resident expert on The Catcher in the Rye , Jeffrey Kucaj stated, “I love the book and I still enjoy reading it – especially Holden’s voice. This is a novel that sums up the shift in the demographics of America”.

When asked what one word he would use to describe it, Kucaj humorously replied, “If you asked me ten different days, you would get ten different answers. But today, I would describe it with ‘realization’ because Holden has to deal with difficult realities throughout the novel”.

Ultimately, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, and J.D. Salinger have become icons in literary history. Hopefully, his death will be a beginning rather than an end; perhaps instead of a dwindling in popularity, there will be a reignited safari into The Catcher in the Rye.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 1:20 pm and is filed under Opinions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.