by Miranda Pierson

Created on: July 28, 2010   Last Updated: July 30, 2010

J.D. Salinger will never publish another novel. The Catcher in the Rye is one of the greatest works of literature, yet sadly, I believe that this is all we will ever know of him. Today, The Catcher in the Rye is considered a classic. It is required reading in most schools. However, unlike some of those other mandatory novels, The Catcher in the Rye is an enjoyable book. The experiences of Holden Caulfield are events that a student in high school can relate to and understand. After reading The Catcher in the Rye, I knew that I would gladly read another of Salinger's novels, however, I will never have the opportunity to do that. No one else will either.

There are many reasons why J.D. Salinger will never publish another novel. First of all, he is dead. This makes it nearly impossible for him to write or to publish any new works. I also do not believe that any complete unpublished works of his will be discovered in the future. J.D. Salinger, although one of the world's most renowned authors, did not desire to be famous. He wanted to lead a normal life, and not become inhibited by the barriers that fame creates. When his novel, The Catcher in the Rye, became so successful, he found himself contending with emotional conflicts that he did not previously have to tolerate. He enjoyed writing, yet he wanted to be inconspicuous. He began to not answer people's letters and lived entirel y in seclusion. This is disheartening to those that wrote to Salinger, in hopes that he would appreciate their love for The Catcher in the Rye.

Salinger died alone as well. During that difficult period in his life, I do not think that writing could have taken the same place that it used to. His writing is what caused him to be famous, so he may have thought differently about it. Perhaps he desired to write books, but did not want that same attention. He may have written a few things in that period of time, although I highly doubt that any of it was finished. I honestly do not know what Salinger wrote after The Catcher in the Rye. I do not know whether or not anyone will follow up on it, but if other novels that J.D. Salinger wrote were found, maybe they could be published. I have not heard anything, which leads me to believe that he never wrote anything else.  

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