The Catcher in the Rye takes place between the late 1940s and early 1950s, after World War II. This also happened during the Cold War. The book begins at Pencey Prep, an exclusive boarding school in New Jersey. Later, Holden returns to his hometown in New York. “If there’s another war, I’m going to sit on that.” I will volunteer, I swear to God I will. Holden doesn't seem to be afraid of death. He seems to focus a lot on death, but he has experienced a lot of death in his life. His younger brother died of leukemia four years before we met. He witnesses the suicide of a young boy at the prep school. And then there's this whole little World War II issue. On the other hand, he is tired of fake and naive people. He seems to have an opinion on everything. For a teenager, he has a mind beyond his years. “If you sat there long enough and heard all the idiots clapping and everything, you had to hate everyone in the world, I swear you did.” It seems that one of Holden's major problems in Catcher in the Rye is that fake people pretend that great tragedies don't happen every day: they cry at sad movies, but they don't cry about of the atomic bomb. During this period this book was written and heavily influenced the entire theme of the book. World War II and the coming Cold War helped influence Holden and his surroundings. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Catcher in the Rye was published at a time when social rules served as a code of conformity for the younger generation. Because Salinger used slang and profanity in his text and because he openly discussed sexuality, some were offended. Another thing was that young white men were expected to graduate from high school, enter a competitive workplace, contribute to the economy, start a family, buy a home, and enjoy working a stable, well-paying job. Holden Caulfield rejects all aspects of the American dream and refuses to conform to popular American ideals. “If I were a pianist, I’d play it in the damn closet.” or “If a girl looks great when she meets you, who cares if she’s late?” His use of slang and profanity draws attention to himself, suggesting that he is trying to create an impression of himself as tough and rebellious. Holden's language also indicates his immaturity, or possibly a way of expressing emotion. Whether it's the rejection of the American dream or the way he chooses to express himself, the trend is clear. It's clear that he's trying to stay young, immature, and rejecting the fact that he'll eventually need to get a job and grow up. »Now he lives in Hollywood, DB, where he works as a prostitute. If there's one thing I hate, it's cinema. At the beginning of the book, it seems like Holden is reluctant to go out into the world and get a job or grow up. Holden rejects many of the values ​​associated with the pursuit of the American dream. He looks at the life his family leads and sees no value in becoming a corporate lawyer like his father, or in selling out to the Hollywood machine like his brother. DB Holden bounced from school to school because of his efforts to delay the inevitable high school graduation; graduating will mean he is on his way to becoming a man who chases money, which is traditionally part of the American dream. Holden Caulfield's character is like a teenager trying to figure out life and find himself. He's a teenager.