Discuss the thematic concerns of the novel and show their relation to the time in which the book was published.

I would say that one of the pressing themes of the novel
is the idea of phoniness and how exterior appearance drives social interactions and
one's vision of self.  This is evidenced in Holden's own demeanor toward those he
considers "phony" and how he views the "established" and "respected" institutions as
hollow and disingenuous.  While society deems them so, Holden goes to painstaking ends
to disprove such a judgment.  In many ways, Holden's critique of his social setting is
also one of the time period.  The 1950s, the post- war America, was driven by the
pursuit and achievement of the externally determined "American Dream."  The ability to
display a level of material wealthy and display all the trappings that went along with
it became the primary motivation within many Americans.  The dialogue to explore
insufficiency in the governing institutions, to express dissatisfaction with hollow
pursuits, and to identify where insincerity existed simply did not exist.  In Holden and
the novel, one sees where this dialogue is introduced into a setting where it was
absent.