We still read this book because it is still extremely relatable even though it was written a few decades back. Holden Caulfield is relatable because he is a teenager who is just trying to find his way in the world. He's a bit angsty and rebellious, and apathetic toward school work if he finds it dumb and pointless. I think that a lot of people, especially teenagers would like this book. For older people, it can bring a sense of nostalgia back to them for when they were teenagers. For teenagers, they can relate to things, agree with most of Holden's well thought out opinions and insightful thinking. Also, this book has made a big impact. It is one of the most famous books out there. Almost everyone has either heard of it or read it before.
What is really cool about this book is the fact that it is pretty timeless. That you can see that life really was not too different than it is now for people that are around my age group. The biggest difference it just technology and it doesn't really even mention technology at all throughout the book, but there are still the 'phonies', the jocks, the rebels, the homework, the family, childhood memories, and summer. We still think about the same things, and worry about the silliest things and decisions that seem so important that the time.
We can learn that, since this novel was made a few years back, that our parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, and old family friends, were all once teenagers whether it seems like it or not and whether they'd admit it or not. They may forget what it's like to be a teenager sometimes, but they've gone through similar experiences and made some of the same mistakes that we have made. This book can be passed down to the decades after mine and it would still be relevant and a good read that people can sympathize with.
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 2001. Print.
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