#Throwback

The fifties - they seem to have taken place on a sunny afternoon that asked nothing of you except a drifting belief in the moment and its power to satisfy.

I guess that's one of the things about growing up in the fifties - it never occurred to me that you wouldn't be at least as successful as your parents.

Reason why Holden might be failing out of school and wandering New York City

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms may start within three months of a traumatic event, but sometimes symptoms may not appear until years after the event. These symptoms cause significant problems in social or work situations and in relationships.

 They are generally grouped into four types: intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, or changes in emotional reactions.

• Trying to avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event
• Avoiding places, activities or people that remind you of the traumatic event
• Negative feelings about yourself or other people
• Inability to experience positive emotions
• Feeling emotionally numb
• Trouble concentrating
• Trouble sleeping

Depression

• not going out anymore
• relying on alcohol and sedatives
• feeling guilty
• feeling miserable
• tired all the time
• sleep problems
• loss or change of appetite

The five stages of grieving and loss

1. Denial & Isolation
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

The impact of death on a family 

Bereaved Children Speak


I think Holden is going through the stages of grieving and loss, Kids & teens who have experienced  a death are most likely to experience depression, struggle at school, use drugs and alcohol, and thats pretty much whats happening to Holden.
Doctors will treat him as a normal kid who lost a family member, he wouldn't be taking medication, but he would be going with a phycologist that could help him get over the impact of death.  

The catcher in the rye banned?

The catcher in the rye was banned for subversion

In 1978, the book was banned for being part of "an overall communist plot".

For its sexual references,  its alcohol abuse and simply for being “unacceptable”, For its profanity, and violence. The book has multiple scenes and references to prostitution and premarital sex. It's an icon for teenage rebellion.

Although its one of the most controversial books ever written, it is still taught in many English classes all around the United States, and is still loved by many teenagers and adults for its rebellious characteristics.

Why did this book have such an impact on Americans of the 20th century and today?

John Lennon was murdered over 30 years after this book was released, and while the impact was pretty severe on him, that's not really an answer to this question. 

Catcher in the Rye broke new ground in literature because it broke so many conventions and challenged the conservative values of the late 1940's-1950s mainstream. It featured a young protagonist thinking and speaking like a typical teenager--which was pretty shocking to those who had never read such language in print. 

The book continues to have an impact today, and will continue to have an impact as long as there are young people who feel disenfranchised by society. People strongly relate to Holden Caufield because he recognizes a lot of negative things about society and desires to protect the helpless and innocent from them. His voice is the same voice as anyone who's ever been frustrated by his/her rather helpless role in the world, and he speaks strongly to those like him--on the cusp of adulthood and scared to death of entering the real nasty world.

How Did Teenagers React To The Book Catcher In The Rye?

The Catcher In The Rye had an impact when it came out, and still does now because the teenage population still exists and can relate to Holden. At the time period the book came out, teenagers were not as exposed to Holdens language, behavior, and the sexual references. Adults did not approve of this book for those very reasons and parents were once young and disillusioned themselves, but they’ve grown out of it, and they assume the rest of the world has grown with them.

Holden is trying to grasp at maturity. As a teenager this kind of behavior and attitude is still relevant, even if its dated. Our generation might be more technologically focused, but that does not change the simple feeling near all of us have: rebellion toward those older than us. Most teens are trying to grow up too fast just as Holden Caulfield did in Catcher In The Rye.

We all feel alienated by adults at one point or another, mainly just because they have more freedom than us. The ways that Holden reacts to these feelings may be old-fashioned and unheard of nowadays, but the essence of his character touches close to home to teenagers today.

‘The Luckiest Generation’

Teenagers in the 50s are considered the luckiest but, why?

Hoola Hoops, catching fireflies, the Good Humor guy, talking on the phone for hours, sleep overs, dancing parties, diaries, bicycles, drive in movies, boarding games, bowling. This were 50s teens everyday lifes.

No cell phones or Facebook. They walked with their heads up and not down looking at cell phones for messages. They talked directly with each other. They wrote letters on stationary without spell check. 

Sex before marriage was frowned upon. Then the main concern was getting pregnant, birth control wasn't available. 

Boys were taught to go into the service and then find a job to support the family.

girls were mostly taught to stay home and take care of the household.

Afterward boys and girls were more often concouraged to further their education and attend collage.

But in the 50s teens started to show more rebellious side of themselves.

Juvenile delinquency was considered chewing gum in class and souping up hot rods.

Fashion

Style Clothing became an important part of culture in  the 1950s, with the country going through many societal and cultural changes. It would showcase one's place in society more so than ever before and became a way to express conformity and individual identity. 

Fashion started to emphasise conformity in the way people should look. Women were sold on a certain body shape that would best fit the latest fashions and that shape was a thin waist with defined hips and a larger but very defined and shapely bust.

Fifties fashion also helped to define a woman's place in society. Five different types of outfits began to emerge for women during the decade, each with a definite and rigid purpose. Women's clothing could for the first time be easily sorted into clothing for housework or lounging around the home, going out to run errands or conduct business, maternity wear, party-appropriate clothing for social gatherings, or, for women of a lower socio-economic station than the emerging middle class, work uniforms. These different  styles were meant to impress and please others including husbands, neighbors, friends and employers, with much less emphasis on whether these fashions expressed the individual identity of the women who wore them. 

style was used to set a common standard of look. 

This meant that not many choices of dramatically different 

styles were available throughout the decade. A lot of clothing 

was similar in shape and silhouette but varied in color, pattern 

or type of fabric.

 For men, fashions changed very little throughout the decade. Choices were suits, sport coats, slacks, sweaters, or casual wear all in similar fabrics and styles. Occasionally bolder patterns might emerge for casual wear, but business clothing remained largely unchanged during the fifties. Work clothing for laborers was usually in the style of the military, because a majority of the men at the time had served in the armed forces or were still a part of the military. 

Around the middle of the decade a separation between child

and adult styles began and the gap was filled by teenage clothing. 

Resulting from the economic boom and baby boom coinciding,

 teenage style, culture, and consumerism became a major part of 

society for the first time in recent history.  

These are some of the things you may have seen advertised Below and how much clothes were in the 50's 

Polo Shirts 99 cents New Hampshire 1950 

Chino Pants $2.98 New Hampshire 1950 

Boys Shoes $4.95 New Hampshire 1950 

Nylon Stockings 2 pairs for a dollar New Hampshire 1950 

Men's Suits $45.00 Wisconsin 1954 

Ladies Full Length Cashmere Coat $59.00 California 1959 

Men's All Wool Suits $28.90 Ohio 1957 

Square dance Cotton Check Dress $3.29 California 1959 

Ladies Sandals $2.95 New Hampshire 1950 

Men's Dress Shoes $13.98 Wisconsin 1954 

Children's Shoes From $2.95 Wisconsin 1954 

Short Spring Coats $9.88 California 1959 

Girls Dresses $2.98 Texas 1956 

Denim jeans 13 1/2 ounces $2.49 Michigan 1957 

Boys shirt $1.10 New Jersey 1956 

Boys Denim Jeans $2.49 Michigan 1958 

Boys winter jacket $7.80 New Jersey 1956 

Leather Jacket $4.88 New Jersey 1956 

Men's shirt $3.99 New Jersey 1956 

Women's handbag $1.32 New Jersey 1956 

Women's skirt $4.95 New Jersey 1956 

Tutti Frutti

This song is my personal favorite from the 50´s, It´s called Tutti Frutti from Little Richard, i´ll leave here the link and the lyrics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F13JNjpNW6c

Wop bop a loo bop a lop bom bom!

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Wop bop a loo bop a lop ba ba!

I got a gal, named Sue, she knows just what to do

I got a gal, named Sue, she knows just what to do

She rock to the East, she rock to the West

She is the gal that I love best

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Tutti frutti, oh rutti, ooh

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Wop bop a loo bop a lop bom bom!

I got a gal, named Daisy, she almost drives me crazy

Got a gal, named Daisy, she almost drives me crazy

She knows how to love me, yes indeed

Boy you don't know what she do to me

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Tutti frutti, oh rutti, ooh

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Wop bop a loo bop!

Oh tutti frutti, oh rutti

Tutti frutti, oh rutti, ooh

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Wop bop a loo bop a lop bom bom!

I got a gal, named Daisy, she almost drive me crazy

Got a gal, named Daisy, she almost drive me crazy

She knows how to love me, yes indeed,

Boy you don't know what she do to me

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Tutti frutti, oh rutti

Wop bop a loo bop a lop bam boom!