Holden as the Typical Teenager TodayHolden Caulfield, portrayed in JD Salinger's novel Catcher in the Rye as a struggling teenager to find his own identity, has many characteristics that easily connect him to the typical teenager living today. The fact that the book was written many years ago clearly illustrates the timeless nature of this work. Holden's actions are ones that any teenager can clearly identify with. The desire for independence, encounters related to sexuality and questioning one's religion are problems that almost all adolescents have had or will have to face during their adolescence. The novel and the experiences of its main character are easily relatable and will forever connect Holden with everyone in society, as everyone in the world has been or will be a teenager at some point in their life. The first and most obvious characteristic found in most teenagers, including Holden, would be the desire for independence. Throughout the novel, not once does Holden wish for his parents to help him in any way. He has lived almost his entire life in dorms at prestigious schools and has learned to fend for himself very well. This tendency of adolescents has manifested itself even in ancient history, where the newly developed adolescent chooses to leave the cave and hunt for its own food. Every teenager tries, in his or her own way, to be independent. Instead of admitting wrongdoing to parents, the teen tries to cover up the mistake or avoid it in hopes of staying out of trouble. They believe that they have enough intelligence to think through a problem without asking their parents for help. When Holden hears the news that he has been kicked out of Pency, he concludes that his parents won't know for a few days. So he would wait from Saturday to Wednesday, let his parents "understand and digest it completely", then suffer the consequences, which will probably be less serious once his parents calm down. He states on page fifty-one: "I didn't want to be there when they first got it. My mother gets very hysterical. She doesn't get too bad once she's digested something well, However." In taking the path to independence, Holden seeks neither sympathy nor help from either parent..