It is
evident that most if not all teenagers face challenges through the
transformation of becoming an adult. J.D Salinger describes teenage behavior
such as phoniness and confusion, teenage depression and their need for
attention, and their desire to protection innocents in our society. I
personally agree that Salinger delivers an accurate depiction of teenagers in
our society.
Phony: fake; not genuine. Who is to say what is truly
genuine in our society? Salinger
demonstrates his view of genuine through his characters in the novel. Early
into the novel Salinger portrays the main character to be very hateful towards
society, and the reason he leaves his schools and public locations is because
of other people and their “phoniness.” He illustrates this in chapter two by
saying “…I left Elkton Hills because I was surrounded by phonies. That’s all”
(13).
Teenagers are confused along the path of life, and will change their
attitudes and perspective on things depending on the situation. Salinger
demonstrates that all teenagers become “phony” as a defense mechanism to be
accepted. Salinger demonstrates this behavior through his characters by
characterizing them as fake or phony. This reminds me of a friend of mine who
is extremely entertaining when around our close group of friends. She/ he will
do and say the craziest things, but when someone new is introduced she/ he
becomes extremely introverted. It is not that she/ he is acting phony by acting
different towards other people, but she/ he is uncertain as to how to present
themselves for fear of not being accepted. This attitude is present in most
teenagers, making it a natural thing rather then being phony.
Secondly, Salinger describes his main character as
depressed and neglected. Holden (the main character) deals with his depression
by rebelling. Salinger exaggerates Holdens actions and results in a lot of
trouble, and he does not seem to help himself get out of these situations. The
circumstances Holden gets into, such as the prostitute problem, causes Holden
to receive a lot of attention, which a lot of teenagers need. Many teenagers
like to attract attention to themselves for numerous reasons. For example back
in public school a few of my peers would tape bandages around their wrists, as
if they had attempted suicide. This did attract attention towards them,
although it was mostly negative. These young ladies fabricated depression and
thought everything was grimily wrong with society. This scenario is a lot like
Holdens perspective on civilization, and he is seeking attention like my former
classmates in public school.
Finally Salinger presents Holden to be obsessed with
protecting the innocent. This conduct is human nature. It is not something that
is discussed, but is a habit of society. It is more obviously shown in mothers,
caring and protecting their children from the “bad” or “corrupted” in our
society. Not only is it seen in mothers but also many people demonstrate
protectiveness because of regretful experiences they have encountered. For
instance, my older brother would sit at the back of the bus on the way to
school. When I started taking the bus he would not let me sit at the back. He
knew all of the things that went on at the back and was concerned that I would
be “corrupted”. This is remarkably like Holdens attitude towards his younger
sister Phoebe. He wanted to protect her from everything vile, because his image
of Phoebe was that she was as innocent as they come.
In conclusion, I have provided ample proof that Salinger
delivers an accurate depiction of teenagers in our society. He clearly portrays
the attitude and thoughts of teenagers. He also accurately describes the
phoniness that comes from confusion, the need for attention, and the potential
for corruption that teen’s face in everyday life.
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