The Catcher in the Rye

Main Ideas

• The search for meaning and self-identity in a world perceived as phony and superficial
• Critique of society, its phoniness and hypocrisy, condemnation of growing up as a process leading to the loss of innocence and authenticity
• The complexity of transitioning from youth to adulthood, fear of growing up and losing innocence, desire to remain 'unspoiled' in the adult world
• Loneliness and isolation as a result of rejecting a world and people who live insincerely, attempts to find like-minded individuals and genuine human interaction
• The importance of sincere human relationships and understanding, the search for friends who can share the protagonist's views and support him
• Contrasting childlike spontaneity and innocence with the cruelty and phoniness of the adult world, the desire to protect children from growing up
• Journey as a metaphor for internal search and attempts to escape reality, confronting the external world and trying to find one's place in it