Catcher in the RyeCatcher in the Rye: A Coming of Age TaleThis novel explores many themes commonly felt by adolescents. Salinger's novel discusses Holden's stance against falsity. Another major theme that runs through the novel is self-loathing, and although it is not as extreme in all cases, most teenagers go through the "awkward" stage. Loneliness is also expressed in the novel. Every teenager goes through a period where they feel alienated. In many ways, Holden also literally wants to be the receiver of the rye. These are just some of the themes that run through this novel. Jerome David Salinger only wrote one novel, Catcher in the Rye. It was published in 1951. It has been called a true American tale and was highly praised. After this success, Salinger retired. All he wrote before his “disappearance” were four short stories and thirty-five short stories. Of these stories, he only kept nine. JD Salinger's Catcher in the Rye presents typical adolescent alienation and depression. Salinger's novel discusses Holden's stance against falsity. Holden's deep contempt for all things false is expressed throughout the novel. He even condemns people he doesn't know as fakes, like the man his dorm wing at Pencey is named after, an undertaker named Ossenburger. I can just see this big phony bastard asking Jesus to send him more stiffs. I don't always know. He particularly hates movies and comic books. “These... middle of paper... ive, but not excessive. The novel is written precisely as a teenager would write it. This makes it relatively easy to understand and interpret. It's easy to seethe from Holden's perspective. It's refreshing that he doesn't look for sympathy, he just tells it like it is. Holden is a real-life character, created by a man with a brilliantly flexible imagination. The novel is also intended to be a social critique. Not just discussing the overall falsity of society, but also describing it. Fake people don't change, they're always there, it's a bit depressing when you look closely at people and realize it. Salinger addresses this point directly. He also suggests that trusting people leads to inner pain. The novel, in short, is like a sort of guide for adolescents lost in their own adolescents..