History Reflection in "The Catcher in the Rye"

The Catcher in the Rye reflects history very well. It explains how boarding schools were and how boys reacted to them. The book exposed the life of boys living in boarding schools everywhere. The Catcher in the Rye showed how miserable it can be in boarding schools and how some people really can not handle being alone with all of those boys. This book also describes the activities that were enjoyed during the time period. People went to shows and movies, but the movies were very short, and the shows were of an older time period. It talks about ice skating and how women could rent shorter skirts because they would not have had a skirt short enough for ice skating at home. At the same time, women still enjoyed being fashion forward and having the best, newest things, just as they do today. It is easy to see that this book reflects history in the way that it explains the boarding schools. At the boarding schools, they enjoyed going to town for fun and just being with girls. The faculty did not worry or think about where the children went, they were more worried about themselves and what they had to do, which is historically accurate. They also were out and about and more social. Another reason that you can tell that The Catcher in the Rye is historically accurate is because they did not care much about the drinking age. If one looked old enough and the bartender was in a good mood, they would give them the drink. Now, bartenders are more cautious and check for ID more often, because they do not want to be sent to jail for serving alcohol to a minor. 289 It is made obvious by this book that while some things are still the same, time has changed many things, and for the most part has left them better. The Catcher in the Rye is an incredible glance into the past.