What does the author reveal about his values and attitudes in The Catcher in the Rye? What perspective is this novel written in?

The author of The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger, reveals his attitude about growing up and finding your identity in society. The author feels that growing up can be bemusing and sometimes it's hard to let go of childhood. This attitude can be seen through the struggles that Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, goes through in the novel. Holden is just a teenager and has been going from boarding school to boarding school because he cannot seem to apply himself and he keeps failing out. Holden is a very immature character and is told many times in the story that he needs to grow up, but a part of him wants to cling to his childhood and not change. Holden's fear of change can be observed when he is walking to the Museum of Natural History (Salinger 156). Holden expresses his love of the museum that never changes (Salinger 156). The exhibit of the Eskimo ice fishing in the museum will always will be there ice fishing (Salinger 157). This seems to make Holden seem secure in a world where he himself is growing up and changing faster than he would like. Yet, as Holden draws closer to the museum he thinks about his sister Phoebe going there (Salinger 157). "I kept walking and walking, and I kept thinking about old Phoebe going to that museum on Saturdays the way I used to. I thought how she'd see the same stuff I used to see, and how she'd be different every time she saw it....Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and leave them alone." (Salinger158). This expresses Holden's fear of his sister and himself getting older and becoming different. I think Holden feels afraid that when he becomes an adult he will become a "phony" or someone that he sees as fake.

The Catcher in the Rye is written in first person. The narrator of this novel is Holden Caulfield, and the reader is able to follow what Holden feels and thinks closely because of this.

Bibliography: Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and, 1991. Print.