Holden, typical teenager?

Holden's emotional fluctuations are a universal experience amongst teenagers but the only thing which sets him apart is the magnitude of his emotions. Holden experiences sexual frustration, sadness, and different forms of confusion throughout his story but just at levels that may vary from the "typical" teen. "It was getting daylight outside. Boy, I felt so miserable...What I did, I started talking, sort of loud, to Allie." (98). Also, what quite evidently sets holden apart from a "typical" teenager is his situation to begin with. A "typical" teenager would not be roaming New York city voluntarily, or be so sad that they are speaking to a deceased sibling. Maybe this would be the case if a typical teen had been placed in Holden's situation, but it is difficult to say that this is a situation that generally fits the "typical" teenager.

But perhaps what makes Holden similar to a good amount of teenagers is his academic apathy. Many kids enjoy venturing off into their own pursuits, whether academic or not, finding joy in intrinsically reading or writing something on their own, not being pressured by a school system to read or write something that is unenjoyable. Like Holden who read Romeo and Juliet on his spare time: " 'I mean I felt so much sorrier when Mercutio got killed than when Romeo and Juliet did'" (111). Therefore he is an intelligent kid but just doesn't apply the time to allow himself to succeed academically, and he is reminded by many older figures that this is so.