Teen Depression IS Relevant
During the 1950’s, 6% of teenagers experienced depression. Today 20% of teens will experience depression before adulthood. That’s 1 in every 5 teens versus in the 1950’s where the rate was 1 in every 17 teens. The Catcher in the Rye is completely relevant to today's teens, if not more relevant than in was when it was written. The amount of teenagers that experience depression has tripled since the 1950’s, therefore this book is relevant to the teens today who experience depression, because they can relate to Holden.
Although this book is 60 years old, teens today can easily relate to it. Holden is a sixteen year old who lost his brother, and ever since has dealt with depression. “I was crying and all. I don't know …show more content…
“What I really felt like, though, was committing suicide. I felt like jumping out the window.”(Salinger,104). This shows great despair yet relevance to today's teens because suicide is the second leading cause of death in teenagers. In 1950 the suicide rate of teenagers was 4.5 , today it’s 12.5. Teens can relate to Holden's situation of feeling alone and feeling that suicide is the only option. The Catcher in the Rye highly talks about the innocence of children. “Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around—nobody big, I mean—except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all.”(Salinger,51). This shows that Holden wished to preserve innocence because he knows that going up isn’t fun. He doesn’t want anyone, let alone the children, to feel the way he does… …show more content…
Holden uses language that’s definitely outdated. He uses the word phony 35 times throughout the book almost always referring to adults. “She probably knew what a phony slob he was”(Salinger,3)Which is rather outdated but a lot of today's teenagers can relate to people being fake, or putting out a front that isn’t really them. Holden also uses other outdated words like grippe and faggy.“He had the grippe, and I figured I probably wouldn't see him again until Christmas”(Salinger,3). Although we don’t hear these words everyday but once you get past the date teenagers can definitely relate to
During the 1950’s, 6% of teenagers experienced depression. Today 20% of teens will experience depression before adulthood. That’s 1 in every 5 teens versus in the 1950’s where the rate was 1 in every 17 teens. The Catcher in the Rye is completely relevant to today's teens, if not more relevant than in was when it was written. The amount of teenagers that experience depression has tripled since the 1950’s, therefore this book is relevant to the teens today who experience depression, because they can relate to Holden.
Although this book is 60 years old, teens today can easily relate to it. Holden is a sixteen year old who lost his brother, and ever since has dealt with depression. “I was crying and all. I don't know …show more content…
“What I really felt like, though, was committing suicide. I felt like jumping out the window.”(Salinger,104). This shows great despair yet relevance to today's teens because suicide is the second leading cause of death in teenagers. In 1950 the suicide rate of teenagers was 4.5 , today it’s 12.5. Teens can relate to Holden's situation of feeling alone and feeling that suicide is the only option. The Catcher in the Rye highly talks about the innocence of children. “Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around—nobody big, I mean—except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all.”(Salinger,51). This shows that Holden wished to preserve innocence because he knows that going up isn’t fun. He doesn’t want anyone, let alone the children, to feel the way he does… …show more content…
Holden uses language that’s definitely outdated. He uses the word phony 35 times throughout the book almost always referring to adults. “She probably knew what a phony slob he was”(Salinger,3)Which is rather outdated but a lot of today's teenagers can relate to people being fake, or putting out a front that isn’t really them. Holden also uses other outdated words like grippe and faggy.“He had the grippe, and I figured I probably wouldn't see him again until Christmas”(Salinger,3). Although we don’t hear these words everyday but once you get past the date teenagers can definitely relate to