Ascent As we noted above, this plotline exerts a powerful tug upon adolescents. A time of awakening to literature coincides with a strong call to establish one’s own identity and independence. Nothing like a good coming-of-age novel to draw out a fledgling voice. And no fictional character has given so much voice to so many readers as J. D. Salinger’s creation Holden Caulfield (The Catcher in the Rye).461
