These darn teenagers, they have no respect for society. Everyone has heard a comment that makes a point similar to this. The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, takes this statement from another point of view -- the cynical teenager's. The narrator, Holden Caulfield, is a sixteen-year-old boy who found everything about the adult world "phony." The novel began with him looking back at a certain three days from the December before. They were three days during which he was constantly depressed. His tale started on a Saturday evening, playing football with a couple of his friends at Pencey Prep School. He was kicked out for flunking four subjects, all except English, at which he was considered a "hotshot." This is somewhat ironic because Holden constantly complained about hotshots throughout the novel. He made several comments on how phony everyone at Pencey was. He even cracked about the alumnus that donated the money to build his dorm wing.
             The story actually took off later that evening, after his roommate, Stradlater, returned from his date with Holden's childhood girlfriend, Jane Gallagher. Holden still seemed very attached to Jane and wanted to know that Jane didn't get taken. Stradlater wouldn't say what he and Jane did and they began to argue, even though Holden had no claim on her. Stradlater was a much stronger guy and bloodied Holden up. So Holden decided to leave, but of course he had to disturb everyone on his way out. He yelled, "Sleep tight, ya morons."
             After running away from his problems at school, he decided not to face them at home. He knew that his family would be upset, so he decided not to go home. In his loneliness, Holden went to a phone booth, but couldn't think of anyone to call. So he got a room in a slummy hotel. He found many perverts as he gazed out the window, as he often did. This increased his thoughts of the adult wor...