The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, is a novel about teenage angst and the struggle to be accepted by society. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, is a seventeen year old kid that has a problem with everything in life, from the books people read to the way people act. Holden has a language problem and often gets him in trouble with other people. The novel is written with a lot of slang and bad language. It portrays a teenager's life perfectly. A teenager's life isn't easy and this novel demonstrates it and explains why teenager's struggle through this time in their life. The author uses literary devices to further enhance the novel and to present the story as if in real life, devices such as characterization, dialect, suspense, metaphors, and sensory details make the novel more interesting and entertaining to the reader.
             Characterization plays a large role in the novel, for it demonstrates Holden's character and his way of life. Holden is a dynamic character, he changes from one minute to the other. One minute he will seem the happiest, nicest guy in the world and the next he will be mad, depressed, or just right down obnoxious. Holden's character is vital role in the novel because it shows how a teenager's life is like and what teenagers will do be accepted or to be outcast by his peers. Without this there wouldn't be point to this novel or a story for that matter. Holden goes in-depth about certain subjects such as school, his girlfriends, and things he dislikes. He criticizes everything he sees and is not shy about letting people know about it. There is a part in the book where Holden makes Stradlater, one of his classmates, really mad and knocks Holden out with one punch. Just because Stradlater didn't like what Holden wrote for him, so Holden starts mouthing off and got what he deserved. Holden uses a lot of dialect and slang. He has his own little language to des...