Going through changes can at times be difficult to handle, especially for young people who are about to reach the adult years of their lives. In the years following their adolescence, they lose the sense of security they had for so long, and they rapidly have to adapt to the new way of life, which is filled with responsibility for themselves and those around them. During that time, they are not confident about their ability to adjust to those changes, so it is important for them to know that someone is willing to offer them support. While self-help books are more popular today than ever, a quality novel can still serve its purpose by helping adolescents accept adulthood, while at the same time giving them a good read and making them interested in literature. For generations, novels termed Bildungsromans have aided insecure adolescents, and one novel has done more in this respect than any other. In 1951, J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye introduced the world to Holden Caulfield, a rebellious teenager with whom his real-life peers all around the world could connect. To this day many copies of The Catcher in the Rye are sold on an international scale, which is a testament to how much young people value Salinger’s work, and how much the novel has helped them to mature. This paper will focus on the characteristics of the Bildungsroman appearing in the novel, and will discuss Holden’s mental development on his journey to adulthood.