The Catcher in the Rye

Content Ratings

Mild Romance

Holden's interactions with girls involve awkward attempts at physical intimacy, his reflections on sexual experiences and desires, and a visit to a prostitute that ends in a non-sexual but humiliating encounter; content is discussed frankly but not explicitly.

Intense Themes

The novel is deeply rooted in grief over the death of Holden's younger brother, alienation, mental and emotional breakdown, and the confusion of adolescent identity; Holden is ultimately revealed to be narrating from a psychiatric facility.

Mild Violence

Holden is roughed up and punched by a pimp; he describes a past classmate's suicide; violence is present but not graphic or sustained.

Synopsis

Following his expulsion from a prestigious prep school, seventeen-year-old Holden Caulfield wanders New York City for several days, wrestling with alienation, grief, and his disdain for what he calls the phoniness of the adult world. Narrated in Holden's distinctive, sardonic voice, the novel is a portrait of adolescent disillusionment and emotional crisis. A landmark of American literature that remains widely read and frequently challenged.