The author of Catcher on the Rye, JD Salinger, has created a precisely realistic novel on the immense stress level and complexity of teenage relationships, problems, and confusion.

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The Inevitability of Maturity

Modern society seems to believe that the modern teenage years are the best times in a person's life. This belief is expressed through many various ways, as the way people express themselves, along with the modern movie, music, and entertainment productions. While this may be more or less true in many or some cases, these years can also be the most stressful and problematic of someone’s life. There are numerous things that people have to deal with during this period in their lives, and this novel is the perfect example. The author of Catcher on the Rye, JD Salinger, has created a precisely realistic novel on the immense stress level and complexity of teenage relationships, problems, and confusion.

The main character of the story, Holden, fashioned many diverse relationships with the people he encountered. Family relationships are generally the toughest one to maintain at a virtuous level. Holden’s parents and relatives, The Caulfield family, was rendered in this approach. Holden's parents are too diligent trying to protect the image fashioned of 'conformed comfort' they have fashioned, causing them to be aloof. Holden's older brother, the author, D.B., who Holden believes is egotistical and callous even though D.B. still comes to see his family at least once a week, despite his restrained and hectic schedule. Allie, Holden's younger brother, on the other hand, became Holden's best friend after his death, as demonstrated by Holden’s breakdown while in N.Y., when he was “communicating” with Allie’s spirit. Holden, afraid that he would just simply disappear, was saying “Allie, don't let me disappear. Allie, don't let me disappear. Allie, don't let me disappear. Please, Allie” (Salinger, 198) and would then constantly thank him for helping him safely make it across the “street of abyss”. While, on the contrary, before his death Holden would not have anything to do with him. Holden was always announcing the same argument, that Allie “was just a child, too little ride that far on his bike” (Irving, 84) in its many various forms and shapes. Until Allie’s death, Holden only required Allie to epitomize that Holden was superior, to have Allie look up to him. But after Allies death Holden had to make another conduit for attainment that same knowledge and approval from Allie, therefore creating the “imaginary” Allie that can be assumed had many conversations and happenings with Holden.

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Holden, while attending many of the schools he had gone to, was introduced to many people he never had any close bonds with. For many people creating intimate relations with another person is difficult to accomplish for many reasons. Salinger saw this in the world and placed Holden in that same scenario. Girls were even a problem in Holden's life. Instead of ever developing any kind of intimate or sexual relations with them, he just focused all of that energy towards his younger sister. "Holden continually obsessed with women, but he rarely did anything about it" (Bennett 130). One night when Holden was in New York ...

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