No Longer Holden Back by Anna

No Longer Holden Back by Anna - February 2015 Scholarship Essay

It may sound a tad cliche, but I can’t help but suggest that all high school students should read the book Catcher in the Rye at least once before graduating. The book, J.D. Salinger’s magnum opus of the literary world, changed the way people viewed the teenage mind, and while the book was originally meant for adults, it managed to spread out towards the youth of the time, a youth that had finally been viewed from an entirely new perspective. Why did this happen? What made Salinger’s story about Holden Caulfield, a 17 year old prep school kid who viewed the world through dirty lenses and with a big chip on his shoulder, so relevant to the modern youth of that time? The following is why I chose this book as a top pick for not just high school students, but teenagers in general.

In short, Holden is the complete opposite of what a titular hero is supposed to be. As he narrates the story, he’s constantly shown to be confused, anxious, resentful, depressed, and even has repressed sexual thoughts and yearnings. He seems to hate just about everyone and everything around him, even going so far as to call everyone a “phony,” especially adults. This is kind of funny when you consider that Holden is not too far from becoming the very thing he hates.

So much of the story, in my view, is about Holden coming to terms with his inevitable plunge into adulthood. While he may look like a grown man (he even has partial gray hair,) his attitude is still that of a rebellious child refusing to cater to the world that others have already planned out for him. While he smokes and drinks like an adult, he acts like death is nonexistent, much like a kid would, when he thinks about his dead brother Allie. While Holden may just be thinking of himself at times, there’s also a part of him that thinks about the more beautiful moments in the world, and about the people in his life who matter to him most.

This is a challenged narrator, and that makes for a challenging yet still entertaining and poignant read, especially for high school students who are about to make the big transition to adulthood. There are tons of teenagers out there who are in the same position Holden is in. They’re lost in the world, confused about their purpose, perhaps even angry deep down with no outlet to vent. It’s with this book that those kids can find someone they can relate to, someone who, even though he was created more than sixty years ago, is still a relevant character in today’s world.