The Holden Caulfield in Each of Us

A few weeks ago, I was in the midst of teaching my favorite novel as a teacher, and J.D. Salinger passed away.  If I could start off every year with a novel, Catcher in the Rye would be the one novel I would begin every school year with.  When I teach Catcher, it allows my students to see that I was once a teenager, I was once conflicted, I was once lost and I have made it through.  Holden Caulfield embodies the voice I wish I had been strong enough to stand behind in high school.  The world is full of phonies, and it is hard to not get caught up in other people's ideas of what is right and wrong in society.  Holden is put to the test again and again and again, yet each time he is on the brink of making a questionable choice, he stands by his beliefs.  

I have never understood why so many people are afraid of this novel.  Isn't Holden the person we all want our children to become?  No, I don't want any of my children to spiral emotionally into a black hole, but yes, I do want my children to stand up for what is right in this world, even if they may get hurt in the process.   It was with great sorrow that it was time to  put Catcher back on the shelf again this week.  Thank you J.D. Salinger for providing so many with the voice they wish they had courage to speak.