The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger tells the story of Holden Caulfield, a teenager who has been expelled from boarding school. He spends three days in New York City, feeling alienated and disillusioned by the adult world. Holden wants to protect children's innocence but also experiments with adult behaviors. By the end, he realizes he cannot shield kids forever and must accept reality. Critics debate whether his maturation is positive or a sign of society's oppression. Like Huck Finn, Holden struggles to understand the world while seeking stability and independence in this influential coming-of-age novel.
![[object Object],In the deeply conservative early 1950s, many Americans were shocked by "Catcher"'s explicit language and open treatment of delicate issues such as psychological instability and sexuality. Most of the controversy nowdays, however, concerns how the book and its precocious hero are interpreted.](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)