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Literary significance and criticism

Widely heralded as a classic of American literature, the novel has been included in Time magazine's 100 best novels,^[2][3] and is also number 81 on the Modern Library's list of the best 20th-century novels.^[4]

As a novel "centering on the quest for identity", it has been compared to novels as diverse as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Moby Dick, and The Catcher in the Rye.^[5]