The Catcher in the Rye written by JD Salinger is one of the most controversial and timeless books written in our history. A "rye catcher" is someone who stands at the edge of a rye field and saves children from falling off a cliff. Holden Caulfield, a troubled young teenager and also the main character of the novel, describes himself as this "catcher of rye" who protects all children from the loss of their innocence. Towards the end of Catcher in The Rye, he realizes that this idea is something impossible because growing up and getting older is inevitable even for him. Throughout the novel, we notice how Holden falls deeper into a hole as he moves from adolescence to adulthood. He continues to move toward despair as we see how aimless his life becomes. Holden thinks that by moving to a new environment the course of his life would change, but that is not the case. The situation continues to escalate until we finally learn that he is in a room somewhere in California. Holden Caulfield has nothing to live for, so maybe he should give up altogether. Holden is like most teenagers: he tries to find his place in society without any direction. One of the main reasons why it's difficult for Holden is that he has no role models and is misguided. His brother DB lives in Hollywood “as a prostitute” (Salinger 2) and he resents his parents. Everyone around him seems to be "imposters" and Holden continually tries to be different but notices that the lifestyle he wants just doesn't fit the world he lives in. He constantly rejects certain ways of living but cannot find the purpose of his own and because of this, he criticizes the life of...... middle of paper ...... history throughout this time. It's sad to say, but there is simply no hope for Holden Caulfield. Catcher in the Rye was truly a story of desperation and even Holden was aware of it. There were never any truly happy moments for Holden and if there were, they never lasted. I would suggest that Holden goes back to the drawing board and finds a better purpose for his life than his unrealistic idea of ​​saving all children from losing their innocence. The idea is simply completely unrealistic. The Catcher in the Rye showed a sequence of unfortunate events that I wouldn't wish any teenager to experience. Unfortunately, this is what happens to a lot of teenagers like Holden, but luckily Holden didn't kill himself like many do. Holden needs to realize that meaning comes from within and maybe if he changed his attitude towards life and those around him, life would get better..