Gill, 1

Nyssa Gill
Mr. Okada
AP Literature
28 January 2016

Impact on Todays Generation

How much educational value something has varies from person to person. However,
some lessons and stories have a timeless value that will always charm readers no matter how
much it is valued. For example: the tale of good versus evil (Star Wars), a hero on a journey (The
Odyssey) or even inspiring tales of overcoming tyrannies (Macbeth). While The Catcher in the
Rye isn't as epic as those classic stories, it does tackle an idea just as timeless; finding oneself in
a time of uncertainty. J.D. Salingers famous novel, The Catcher in the Rye, holds an undefinable
amount of educational value for high school students, especially in todays society where
innocence is easily lost and depression is high.
One of the easiest things to lose in today's society is innocence. Whether it be finding out
that Santa Claus isn't real or that around the world there are children starving and dying. Often
the idea of someone being innocent by the time they reach high school is seen as puerile and
laughable. When comparing this to mentality to the beliefs of 1950s America, there are some
differences. Children being innocent kept them pure. Holden from The Catcher in the Rye
embodies the idea of holding the children's pureness and keeping it whole. It is something
shown in many instances, one of the most memorable being when he erases profanity off the
walls of the school and museum. Often his action are reflective of his Immaturities. However, in
the this case it shows his maturity because he doesn't want them to follow the same broken path
he followed to adulthood. In episode one of John Greens literature crash course on this novel,

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he states that Holden stops thinking of time as a line towards corrupt adulthood, and instead
imagines it as a circle that goes around on journey to and from innocence. When Holden
realizes this, he can finally let go of his mentality of wanting to be a Catcher in the Rye. While
he would much rather see things stay the way they are(Salinger, 122), he knows that he will
eventually have to let children fall off while they grab for the gold ring(Salinger, 111). This
lesson that took Holden a while to grasp is something that todays teens weren't given a chance to
learn. Many of today's teens lost forms of innocence in ways that made them concede to a form
of adulthood early. Being able to see another person their age come to terms with growing up and
letting go will allow them to reach a point where they must accept this themselves if they have
yet to do so. It will allow them to not only grapple the new stage in life they will be entering,
adulthood, but it will also let them learn to move on from the things they wish would stay the
same, allowing them to let go of another stage of innocence themselves. This novel would have
the best educational value for junior and senior in high school, especially honors or advanced
placement students because they would be better at interpreting the message of life in the novel.
It is also most relevant to them because it represents the stage in life they are at.
While this novel enhances so many lessons, there are still many who disapprove of it in
the school environment. Many believe that it is an inept novel for teenagers due to profanity and
blasphemous ideas against religion. Some even state that it contains topics that undermine
parental authority...and that Holden is not a good role model (Mydans). These arguments are by
preference that often are based on many factors that don't take into account educational value or
importance and should not be imposed on a group. They are valid for some but not everyone.
One of the strongest arguments against the novels educational importance states that it worked
better in its particular time and place than it does now and that [todays teens] are bound to be

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stumped by Holden's troubles because theirs are so masterfully managed. (Reaching Holden
Caulfields Grandchildren). These authors felt that the book was valuable at one point but can no
longer offer that same value to today's teens because they can't relate. While at first these
arguments seem valid, they fail to take into consideration that adults assume they fully
understand today's teens. This is the same reason they said they could relate to Holden, he
accurately represented them when they were teens struggling with adult authorities at the time.
Now that they are adults they have fallen into the roles that teens are set to rebel against, which
would make it harder to relate. So in reality these arguments are claiming that they related to
Holden, but can't relate to the new generation of kids, and therefore believe that those kids can't
relate to Holden. This is the fault in this argument. Adults are no longer in a position where they
can judge how teens react and feel. Therefore they can't judge if a teen can relate to a character
or not.
Another topic of great magnitude in this novel is depression and anxiety. Throughout the
novel, Holden tries to conquer his anxiety and depression. His depression is what causes him to
immediately fall away from an idea of fun that he came up with, and his anxiety is what makes
him so worried about how others perceive him. This is something that many people today can
relate to. For many teens, reality means choosing a college is more about pragmatism that's
pursuing a dream. There is also an anxiety about the world that will be waiting after college.
(Luckerson). This is the how many have to look at their choices. Will it benefit them or will they
be judged because they aren't the same? In this sense, Holden is the perfect model for teens to
view. They can see how some decisions don't have a good outcomes and they can learn from the
mistakes of others, or at least second guess themselves before doing it. Another topic that is
briefly mentioned in this novel is the topic of suicide. Holden mentions how it happened to

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someone he knew, but as is in his nature, he doesn't really talk about it too much and ignores how
he feels about it. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in youth between the ages of 1024, and ninety percent of those who died by suicide had an underlying mental illness, including
depression and anxiety. (Mental Health By the Numbers). This shows how devastating these
mentalities can be. If someone with depression or anxiety reads this novel, not only would they
be able to relate to Holden, but it would also Illuminate them to the fact that coping through
alcohol and smoking or drugs isn't the answer because they will see that downside of it and never
the upside. This lesson is valuable and is seen throughout the novel. Depression and anxiety isn't
something that one can immediately tell someone has by looking at them. So this, while good for
many, should only be taught to those that could handle the content.
This novel discusses heavy topic but also sentimental ones as well, like a bond that can
be held between two people. The strongest relationship shown in this novel is the one between
Holden and his sister, Phoebe. This is important because it shows that Holden isn't just an
antisocial high schooler. While finding a bond that is so important to you is hard, Holden did. For
many, a bond that strong isn't easy to come by, so to see someone like Holden find one is
inspirational to those that haven't. A relationship of any kind, whether it be friend, family, or
something more, is important because it is a support beam to lean on when one is experiencing
troubles. If someone has depression or anxiety they should have at least one person they can rely
on to listen to them. If someone they love dies they should be able to openly express to others
how they feel about it. So seeing that Holden does have something like this allows others to have
hope. In episode two of John Greens literature crash course video on this novel he states that
Holden never feels like he's being heard. And that when Phoebe puts the hat on his head that
she empathizes with him, which is striking because none have empathized with him in the entire

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novel. This moment in the novel is when people start to empathize with him as well and it
makes the rest of the novel that much more impactful. Shortly after this, the distinction between
the 16 year old Holden that the novel is happening to and the 17 year old Holden, becomes clear.
This transition shows the overall result of Holden's bad decisions, but it also shows that it does
get better in a way. 17 year old Holden is of sound mind and was able to tell his story in a way
that made people listen even if it took a while. So being able to see that supporting relationships
are possible will better allow teens to relate and learn, as well as bolster their own bonds. It also
allows the reader to make a connection of their own to Holden. Even if it isn't real, it is still a
form of support. These connections will further help anyone appreciate a story but it also allows
so many lessons to be taught.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger holds a high educational value for the teens that
read it. It allows them to decide for themselves a moment to grow up, it allows them to see
unhealthy coping methods for depression and anxiety, and it allows them to hold hope for finding
a supporting relationship or allows them to appreciate the on they have. This book teaches
important life lessons that everyone will deal with at some point in their lives. Despite arguments
against this novel that say it is inconsequential, is an important one to teach to high schoolers.

Works Cited
Green, John. "Holden, JD, and the Red Cap- The Catcher in the Rye Part 2: Crash Course
English Literature #7." YouTube. CrashCourse, 17 Jan. 2013. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.
Green, John. "Language, Voice, and Holden Caulfield: The Catcher in the Rye Part 1." YouTube.
CrashCourse, 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.

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Luckerson, Victor. "The American Teenager in 2015." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.
"Mental Health By the Numbers." NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness. N.p., n.d. Web. 28
Jan. 2016.
Mydans, Seth. "In a Small Town, a Battle Over a Book." The New York Times. The New York
Times, 02 Sept. 1989. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.
Parini, Jay, Elizabeth Wurtzel, Anastasia Goodstein, Mark Bauerlein, and Patrick Welsh.
"Reaching Holden Caulfield's Grandchildren." Room for Debate. New York Times, 29
Jan. 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print.