Holden is actually very intelligent and sensitive, however he narrates his story in a cynical, lack-jawed voice. Holden has just been expelled for academic failure. In the bookвЂ™s opening, Holden is a 16-year-old junior at a school named Pencey Prep.

Holden Caulfield is the protagonist and narrator of the book. With a few exceptions, the details of HoldenвЂ™s story could just as easily have been set today. Though his slang words may be dated, HoldenвЂ™s story still shows the experience and emotion that modern teenagers go through today. One major theme of universality in this book is the coming of age. SalingerвЂ™s The Catcher in the Rye is one of these proud classics and is so because it can speak to the masses of all generations and peoples. ShakespeareвЂ™s works, for example, contain universal themes and they still have the ability to electrify readersвЂ™ veins today. The only criteria is this: that you be human and you have human emotions. Universal themes keep the lifeblood pumping in a literary work because all readers of all generations of all races of all cultures and all sexes can relate. These books sit proud in the вЂњclassicsвЂќ section and differ from the Wal-Mart paperbacks in that they have universal themes. But, there are books that pop every once in a while that last for generations. These books are food for landfills, and probably remain in the hearts of only two people: the author and the 60 year old hermit woman who waits, with mossy teeth for her Fabio to swing from the vines of the bookвЂ™s cover (Tarzan call and all) and rescue her from soap operas and loneliness. Some books, such as sleazy Wal-Mart romances, are dead as soon as they hit the shelves.

The catcher in the rye cover