dult world. As the novel opens, Holden stands with childhood in back of him, and adulthood directly in front. His damaged innocence also leaves him on the brink of a nervous breakdown! As Holden begins to realize the harsh reality of the adult world, he is coming of age. Most people struggle with "coming of age" sooner or later. It is either sink or swim. The result is both growth and triumph, rewarded by maturity, or either failure and ultimately a thirty year old still whining to his mama like he is six.People want to read stories that have the same feelings and emotions that they do. By reading these type books with universal themes, we are able to relate directly to the characters in the book. As long as there are people walking the earth, they will want to read about the experiences that are similar to theirs.People of all walks of life are drawn to great literature like Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye for its themes of universality such as coming of age, which everyone can relate to simply because they have already "come" of age, or they are grunting and sweating through the actual journey themselves. Unless there comes a great computer revolution and man as we no him (with all his human passions, weaknesses, and emotions) is conquered by computers and robots (with no passions, just wires), then there will still sit books such as Salinger's on the shelves because they have the ability to touch our humanity. This is precisely why, generation after generation, we are drawn to such classics....
