More than half a century of discrimination in America: from The Catcher in the Rye (1951) to Life is Strange (2015)

The essay investigates how representations of discrimination and otherness have evolved in American culture, linking J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye with Dontnod Entertainment’s video game Life is Strange. After outlining the post–World War II context—marked by conformity and the Red and Lavender Scares—the contribute focuses on Holden Caulfield as a symbol of rebellion against hegemonic masculinity and social hypocrisy, as well as of discomfort toward rigid sexual norms. In parallel, Max Caulfield, the protagonist of Life is Strange, emerges as Holden’s modern counterpart, facing bullying, discrimination, and questions of queer identity. Through this comparative analysis, it is highlighted how both works expose the mechanisms of exclusion affecting nonconforming individuals and argues that video games, thanks to their interactive and participatory nature, can serve as powerful educational tools to foster empathy and awareness of diversity.