Why we still read it - The Catcher in the Rye

Like the previous two books I have read, The Old Man and The Sea and The Grapes of Wrath, The Catcher in the Rye are classics.  They are not the newest books on the shelf and a lot of people shy away from that fact, but they are still on the shelf.  They have to be good reads, otherwise nobody would still read them.  So even though they are not the newest, people still enjoy reading them for many different reasons.
I feel as a teenager, that this is a great book for teens to read because of the message that is behind it.  It is painful to grow up and become an adult.  Holden believes that it will be boring to grow up (Salinger, 223).  Is that a reason that kids do not want to grow up?  Is it painful because they believe that once they become an adult, you can not have fun?  I do not believe that this is true.  When you become an adult, you become more mature and different things play in your mind.  You are not obsessed with going out and partying, you are trying to provide a home for your family.  That is one reason why kids want to stay kids.  I am sure that everybody wants to stay young, but kids are immature because they fear the future.  They do not want to grow up.  This book demonstrates how hard it is to grow up, but that does not mean it is impossible.  I think that what we (as the audience), need to learn from this book is that growing up is difficult and it takes maturity and responsiblity.  It is a process of not being able to do thte things that you want to do, and that is what is so difficult about it.  However, if you stay on task, you will grow up to be a great person, and who says that as an adult you can not have fun?

Bibliography

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print.