Modern society has set certain standards that it expects everyone to conform to, but in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger Holden Caulfield is used to show what happens when humans they do not conform to the desires of society. JD Salinger uses Holden Caulfield to tell part of his story and to show the consequences of not conforming to society and how society will eventually force everyone to conform. Salinger subtly highlights many of society's demands, such as growing up and understanding sex. Holden refuses to surrender to society and does not want to grow up because he has formulated an unfounded definition of adulthood. Conformity plays an important role throughout the novel because it ultimately lands Holden in a mental institution because he cannot and is not willing to conform to all of society's demands. J.D. Salinger uses a young Holden Caulfield to show the effects of self-alienation, that people cannot escape the inevitable, and how sexual identities affect humans in a society where conformity is expected. Modern society requires humans to form friendships, which is echoed by Salinger due to Holden's lack of friends and irrational decisions. JD Salinger uses Holden to show how self-alienation affects the human being and the people around him. Critics of the book said, "Holden is an outcast like Huck Finn, and as Huck tells his story in his own idiom, Holden's voice is not simply a virtuosic recreation of contemporary adolescent discourse" (Sandock). Holden is considered an outcast because he refuses to solidify a friendship with anyone but at the same time Holden always wants to be with humans. Salinger uses Holden to highlight the importance of friendships and how they keep humans sane. Holden's lack of friendships has led him to... middle of paper... bonds with other humans. Holden at first refuses to comply with society's demands, but is eventually forced to comply. In a modern society, human beings can be easily manipulated into believing that everyone should be equal, which J.D. Salinger predicted more than fifty years ago in his book The Catcher in the Rye.Works CitedBaumbach, Jonathan. "The Saint as a Young Man: A Reevaluation of the Young Catcher in the Rye." EXPLORING novels. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Network. January 12, 2014.Corbett, Edward PJ “Raise the Barriers, the Censors.” Discovering the authors. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Network. January 12, 2014. Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. New York, NY: Little, Brown and, 1951. Print.Sandock, Mollie. “The catcher in the rye.” Discovering the authors. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Network. January 12. 2014.