To the editor:
The Salem News recently carried an informative obituary on J.D. Salinger, author of "Catcher in the Rye."
Something might be said about the teenage hero of this successful novel. While he is acclaimed as a free-thinking "rebel," examination of his youthful exploits may show he was a moody pop-off and no way a serious critic such as Thoreau or the heroes, say, of the novels of D.H. Lawrence or Dostoevsky.
The novel's commercial success may be explained by the fact it gives society a safe, cute substitute for rebellion.
Malcolm Miller
Salem
