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The passage of adolescence has served as the central theme for many novels, but J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, long a staple in academic lesson plans, has captured the spirit of this stage of life in hyper-sensitive form, dramatizing Holden Caulfield's vulgar language and melodramatic reactions. Written as the autobiographical account of a fictional teenage prep school student Holden Caulfield, The Catcher in the Rye deals with material that is socially scandalous …

…because he relies so heavily on simple words and thoughts to express the majority of his feelings. While Holden's teenage angst is apparent, Salinger carefully crafted Holden's vocabulary to create a character who is believable. As Holden's vocabulary and outlook on life demonstrate to us his character as a fictional persona, the realistic flavor of his vocabulary mixed with emotion unfailingly ties him with the harsh realities of adolescence and the youth of his time.