the catcher in the rye- values and attitudes

In the book, 'The Catcher in the Rye' the author reveals his values and attitudes through the characters he writes about. In the book, the main character, Holden has a great fear of growing up. He does not like change and he does not want to change from a child to an adult. Holden is also very negative towards the world and the people he interacts with. I think that by making the main character so afraid of change and becoming an adult, the author, J.D Salinger, was trying to make a point, or send a message across to his readers. I think that the author was trying to warn his readers to cherish childhood while you can. By saying this, the author shows that he values childhood and innocence. The author thinks that when people become an adult, they change a lot and they lose the innocence that they had when they were a child. The author values innocence and not having a bunch of responsibilities that come with being an adult. The author believes that it is important to stay a child for as long as you can. Children are more care free than adults and they are better able to have a good time with out worrying about their problems. All that children want to do is have fun and enjoy them selves. The author of this book values this care free personality and probably thinks that adults are too serious and that they worry too much. In the book, Holden says that adults are superficial and phony. This is another reason why he was afraid to grow up. He did not want to change into a superficial adult and be just like one of the people that he hates. He was afraid to become just like them. He only wanted to stay like a child forever, honest and innocent. In the book, 'The Catcher in the Rye' the author did a very good job of displaying his own values and attitudes through the personality of the main character. By doing this, the author gives us a better understanding of themselves.



Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 2001. Print