The Catcher In The Rye
J.D. Salinger
J.D. Salinger was an American fiction author in the early 1940s to 1965. He is most known for his novel The Catcher In The Rye, but he also wrote many short stories during his career.
Holden Caulfield is the main protagonist of the story. He is a young and very troubled sixteen year old kid who is attending a private school in New York. Holden is very judgmental of everything around him. During the story almost everyone he meets he thinks of as "phony." He is very depressed about life and has other mental issues that aren't clear but are noticeable in the book.
Catcher In The Rye is a story of Holden Caulfield, who spends three days in New York trying to find himself and figure out what he wants to do in life.
In the beginning of the book Holden gets expelled from his school but doesn't return home until Christmas break. However, Holden decides to leave early and get a hotel in Manhattan. He does not tell his parents he is home or that he has been expelled. During his time in New York, Holden roams the streets, drinking and doing drugs. He alienates himself from all his old friends. Holden tries to make new friends, but somehow alienates them too. He is trying to figure out who he is and what he wants to do with his life.
"Anyway, i keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around- nobody big, i mean- except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all" (pg. 224). This quote shows Holden's dream to escape the reality around him. His view of the world is dark and depressing so he goes to this world of catching children and there innocence.
Young people would like this book because it tells the story of a young kid who is trying to find his way in a world of rules and conformity. Anyone who has found themselves at a crossroads between feeling separate from their peers and their families should like this book, as Holden is a symbol of someone who is walking his own path in life.
I can't recommend this book to everyone. I found it very depressing and Holden didn't really do anything that I connected with. Nothing happened and it was hard to follow the storyline. However, I know that many people love this book, I just do not like slow story lines so it was hard to read.
Holden Caulfield is the main protagonist of the story. He is a young and very troubled sixteen year old kid who is attending a private school in New York. Holden is very judgmental of everything around him. During the story almost everyone he meets he thinks of as "phony." He is very depressed about life and has other mental issues that aren't clear but are noticeable in the book.
Catcher In The Rye is a story of Holden Caulfield, who spends three days in New York trying to find himself and figure out what he wants to do in life.
In the beginning of the book Holden gets expelled from his school but doesn't return home until Christmas break. However, Holden decides to leave early and get a hotel in Manhattan. He does not tell his parents he is home or that he has been expelled. During his time in New York, Holden roams the streets, drinking and doing drugs. He alienates himself from all his old friends. Holden tries to make new friends, but somehow alienates them too. He is trying to figure out who he is and what he wants to do with his life.
"Anyway, i keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around- nobody big, i mean- except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all" (pg. 224). This quote shows Holden's dream to escape the reality around him. His view of the world is dark and depressing so he goes to this world of catching children and there innocence.
Young people would like this book because it tells the story of a young kid who is trying to find his way in a world of rules and conformity. Anyone who has found themselves at a crossroads between feeling separate from their peers and their families should like this book, as Holden is a symbol of someone who is walking his own path in life.
I can't recommend this book to everyone. I found it very depressing and Holden didn't really do anything that I connected with. Nothing happened and it was hard to follow the storyline. However, I know that many people love this book, I just do not like slow story lines so it was hard to read.
Citations
sparksnotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2013. <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/
catcher/>.
"catcher in the rye cover." tghrogfh the lens. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2013.
<http://sarahandrews711.wordpress.com/tag/catcher-in-the-rye/>.
catcher/>.
"catcher in the rye cover." tghrogfh the lens. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2013.
<http://sarahandrews711.wordpress.com/tag/catcher-in-the-rye/>.