Catcher in the Rye

As a child, we are protected from life. There really aren’t many choices available, and we are certainly sheltered from a lot of the harder parts of life. It seems like children don’t feel the need for meaning quite like adults do- maybe because they aren’t forced to face the daily grind. There’s boredom, but that is not what I am talking about. Kids don’t really have to compromise like...more

As a child, we are protected from life. There really aren’t many choices available, and we are certainly sheltered from a lot of the harder parts of life. It seems like children don’t feel the need for meaning quite like adults do- maybe because they aren’t forced to face the daily grind. There’s boredom, but that is not what I am talking about. Kids don’t really have to compromise like adults do. As you enter adulthood you could start to see things and people as phony or fake. Maybe not people, but certain tasks or events certainly are. There’s a constant struggle in all of us between the meaningful and the mundane; the temporary and the eternal. There is a conflict, simply of time and energy. We desire the intentional and struggle towards spirituality; all while trying to earn a paycheck, wash our dishes, and sleep each night. It kind of reminds me of what I picture an AA meeting to look like. I think, rarely could someone find a place where people are more vulnerable, open, and honest with each other. Even if they win over addiction… how could life ever feel as full after that brief moment shared with others who completely understand? At the same time, the point of those meetings is to help people live- not just free from drugs, but maybe free to live in the mundane? Free to enjoy the dance of life, the needs of the soul balanced with the chores too. This doesn’t have to be depressing, but it does require compromise- or a sense of a time and place for everything- including the day-to-day.Catcher in the rye touches on some of these questions. Holden struggles with growing up. He sees everything as meaningless and adults as predictable and fake. I think he is mourning the loss of his innocence… maybe not just right from wrong, but the loss of dreams growing up seems to require. Holden, while at the museum that is exactly the same as it was when he was a kid says he likes it, because each time you visit "the only thing that would be different would be you…" and goes on to say "certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone. I know that's impossible, but it’s too bad anyway." One thing I thought of to help explain Holden's struggle with growing up is this: Coffee. When I was a kid, I used to smell my dad's coffee- that strong sugary-sweet smell of roasted beans. You wait for your chance to be let in on this excellent secret. Thinking it is just the caffeine that is preventing your parents from giving you a taste. Finally, they do and then all your dreams of that sweet flavor come crashing down! It's wrecked! Coffee isn't at all what you thought it was! That is, until the day you give it another chance, you start to be able to smell and taste the different tones coffee has. You can appreciate it for its varied, and almost living flavors. You see… Coffee isn't bad- it just wasn't what you always thought. The key is in finding the hidden flavors and getting over the fact that it will never taste as sweet as it smells. I think Holden struggled with the initial shock, that although life is more bitter than it "smells", or than you think it will be, there are the hidden joys and sweet flavors that make it almost better!This book doesn’t really set out to answer any of the questions it raises. Holden experiences the extremes of entering into adulthood and relates it in a way everyone, maybe especially, teenagers can understand. He is a flawed character who is desperate and depressed. As the reader, you can see why he feels the way he does, as he explains it so well you almost feel it with him. However, you can also see the flaws in his thinking. The author doesn't romanticize Holden's life, you don't read it thinking he has some special key to life that we all need. You simply feel his struggle to fit in and hope eventually he can learn to play the game and see the beauty that is there, hidden a little.   hide

book. While this was an easy read, it wasn't one that I'd call a page-turner by any stretch of the imagination. The main character, Holden Caulfield, is a fairly typical teenage boy except to say that he's lazier and more negative than any teenage boy I've ever known. He has no real goals for the future, and I think the author pretty much captured that with his writing style. There was no...more

book. While this was an easy read, it wasn't one that I'd call a page-turner by any stretch of the imagination. The main character, Holden Caulfield, is a fairly typical teenage boy except to say that he's lazier and more negative than any teenage boy I've ever known. He has no real goals for the future, and I think the author pretty much captured that with his writing style. There was no build-up or anticipation for any great thing to happen. It was more a narrative of his day-to-day doings when he decides to leave school earlier than the release date. I often wondered if this kid suffered with what we now recognize as a Aspergers, a high-functioning form of autism. Basically, he had few social skills and completely missed social cues. More than that, even, he'd become fixated on a particular topic and would ramble in endless paragraphs about that particular topic. And, just when you thought he'd gotten over his obsession with a particular topic, he'd revisit it in a later chapter. Overall, I didn't care for this book. The only really good thing about this book is that it was a quick read.   hide

I'm done reading this book. I heard it many times in movies and TV shows, but never read it. It got me curious as to why is been mentioned in the US media and why is a most read in high school and colleges abroad. In Puerto Rico, this book is not even known, so my curiosity got the best of me. We mostly read classic Spanish literature and some world classic literature, but not this book. So I got...more

I'm done reading this book. I heard it many times in movies and TV shows, but never read it. It got me curious as to why is been mentioned in the US media and why is a most read in high school and colleges abroad. In Puerto Rico, this book is not even known, so my curiosity got the best of me. We mostly read classic Spanish literature and some world classic literature, but not this book. So I got it from Amazon. I like the way the author wrote this book. Instead of the author talking to you, it is the main character, Holden Caufield. It is somewhat interesting, some parts makes you feel like you want to hit this guy, Holden. I believe that in most of us, we have experienced a Holden Caufield episode in our lives, specially in our teen years. What I don't like of the character is that is somewhat depressed, hates or dislikes everything and that he is just a coward. He in his mind he thinks that he is just it, but he is just a kid who does not have an idea or clue about his life, so in his mind, he sees everybody else's faults, like ugliness, stupidity, etc. He is intelligent, but he fails classes because he chooses. He doesn't want to conform to rules of society. He is conceded, since his parents have money, and he is, well, he is just a teenager who wants to be an adult, but doesn't know how to be one. There are some boring parts and like I said, there are some parts you just want to grab this boy and hit him. It is quite a good read, and now I know what the big deal is with this book. Since I'm done reading it, I didn't like the ending. It just leaves you hanging. I really like the book, but the ending should had been worked more elaborately.   hide

This teenager just got kicked out of yet another school. He is depressed (always) and his life is lacking meaning. Too much about life seems about NOTHING, just going with the flow doing what you're SUPPOSED to be doing, what people have always done. Then you get this kid that picks up on the absurdity/hypocrisy of it all, notices it, questions it, seems no point to it and it's...more

This teenager just got kicked out of yet another school. He is depressed (always) and his life is lacking meaning. Too much about life seems about NOTHING, just going with the flow doing what you're SUPPOSED to be doing, what people have always done. Then you get this kid that picks up on the absurdity/hypocrisy of it all, notices it, questions it, seems no point to it and it's stinkin' depressing. This kid is immature, needs to find some meaning to life, and he's doing some idiotic things. I think it was a bore, and I'm sure he can relate because he hates bores... the profanity though, wow, watch out! It just keeps coming and coming. With all this kid has wrong in his life, he really loves his little sister with her innocent and genuine ways, I'll give him that. That and his dead brother is about the only thing in life that give him any joy at all it seems. In the end, you find out he finally is seeing a "psychoanalyst" and he is going to give yet another school a try. He's not really sure if he's going to apply himself, because after all how can you really know what you're going to do until you do it? I guess he hasn't straightened out his impulsivity and immaturity yet.   hide

There is this book that really got me, called The Catcher in the Rye, if you want to know the truth. It's all about this swell kid named Holden Caulfield. He used to go to a boy's school, but it was full of phonies, so he cut it out. I'm not kidding. Anyway, he spends a couple of days in goddam New York. He takes trains and goes dancing and to movies and museums and the zoo like mad....more

There is this book that really got me, called The Catcher in the Rye, if you want to know the truth. It's all about this swell kid named Holden Caulfield. He used to go to a boy's school, but it was full of phonies, so he cut it out. I'm not kidding. Anyway, he spends a couple of days in goddam New York. He takes trains and goes dancing and to movies and museums and the zoo like mad. The thing is, while he's doing these things he's missing his dead brother Allie and being lonely and all. I felt sorry as hell for Holden. He buys this record for his sister old Phoebe and ends up breaking it to pieces. I hate that. It's funny, but the way that corny guy loved his sister really got me. I mean, he's always talking about how she's just an innocent kid but how she's the only one he can really talk to. I don't understand that because girls can drive you crazy. They really can. I think Holden has this thing about not wanting to grow up and just hold on to innocence. I just don't know. What really knocks me out about this book is some crazy red hunting hat that Holden always wears. He won't hardly walk around without it. Take most people. They don't go around wearing hunting hats, if you know what I mean. If you do you are a moron. Don't ever try to be sexy while wearing a hunting hat. People always think that you should be in a mental hospital. Morons. What really knocks me out is how Holden always talks about getting together with this one girl he used to know but he never does. That kills me. It also kills me that he has to watch out for Mr. Antolini. That guy is flitty, boy. Adults are phony. Anyway, I was reading this book and wondering about the ducks in the park and phonies and children running and playing in a huge rye field on the edge of a cliff. All you knew was you were happy reading it. You really were. Tell your friends that it is a good book to read. I know you won't, though. People never give your message to anybody.   hide

This book, for me, has had a cloud of mystery and darkness surrounding it since John Lennon's death in 1980, because it was found on Lennon's killer, who, if memory serves, even quoted some passages from it during his trial. Now having read and thoroughly enjoyed the book, I don't see how anyone could possibly ever perceive something/anything evil or murderous in the story or its very...more

This book, for me, has had a cloud of mystery and darkness surrounding it since John Lennon's death in 1980, because it was found on Lennon's killer, who, if memory serves, even quoted some passages from it during his trial. Now having read and thoroughly enjoyed the book, I don't see how anyone could possibly ever perceive something/anything evil or murderous in the story or its very entertaining lead character, Holden Caulfield. If you have yet to read it, be aware that Holden uses one particular curse phrase repeatedly, and toward the end briefly stumbles upon on another phrase on a few walls around NYC. I'm glad I got to spend 3 days (the approximate time frame in the story) with Holden in New York... he's a good kid. He would make a good catcher in the rye.   hide

Written by ‘J. D. Salinger’, ’Catcher in the Rye’ is a novel about the life of a seventeen year old boy – ‘Holden’ who is also the narrator of the story. The novel encompasses his understanding and condemnation of the world around him. Holden, the narrator and protagonist of the story, doesn’t seem to be a very emotional person but has his own views and thoughts that keep him a...more

Written by ‘J. D. Salinger’, ’Catcher in the Rye’ is a novel about the life of a seventeen year old boy – ‘Holden’ who is also the narrator of the story. The novel encompasses his understanding and condemnation of the world around him. Holden, the narrator and protagonist of the story, doesn’t seem to be a very emotional person but has his own views and thoughts that keep him a tad alienated from the world. The only friend of him is his sister Phoebe whom he wants never to grow up. The other important characters in the novel are Salley Hayes – a girl to whom Holden was attracted at some point of his life, Sunny – a prostitute whom Holden once meets and Maurice – Sunny’s pimp. The writing style of the author is very interesting. As the book is written in first person, it becomes interactive and the narration and thoughts of the protagonist made the book even more interesting. The language used is full of profanity and blasphemy. The narrating style of the author was pretty casual which seemed to amuse me. At some places the narrator has used a cynical way of writing while at some places I could find the writing style satirical. I liked the book very much because of its simplicity of narration and a teenage connection that I could built with the characters. I liked that the thoughts that author had for different characters are explained briefly but effectively. This book arouses a lot of emotions and provokes a thought process. One can easily connect to the incidents that happen in the life of Holden. One cannot afford to not read this book. It’s a gem of a book and could help one understand the aspects of the outer world and one’s own life. I would recommend that this book be read by everyone at least once.   hide

Also, i must add, if you're in the UK be sure to seek out the original-text version of this book. When first published over here, the dialogue was changed and much of the US slang omitted...the original version as Salinger intended for it to be read is far, far superior. I'd heard of The Catcher In The Rye, but had no idea of it's content. I knew of it's connection with Mark Chapman and the...more

Also, i must add, if you're in the UK be sure to seek out the original-text version of this book. When first published over here, the dialogue was changed and much of the US slang omitted...the original version as Salinger intended for it to be read is far, far superior. I'd heard of The Catcher In The Rye, but had no idea of it's content. I knew of it's connection with Mark Chapman and the murder of John Lennon, and so i decided to read the book more out of intrigue than anything else - i thought it maybe contained some profound message, some powerful thought-provoking content. It didn't. But what a FANTASTIC BOOK!!! To be honest, i'm not entirely sure what i expected from this book, but i certainly didn't expect the laugh-out-loud moments of witty dialogue. In places, this is actually a rather humorous book. Yes, i found Holden Caulfield rather an irritating character at first, as many people have also said, but once you get into his mind-set and begin to view his world through his eyes it all begins to make sense. I think each reader will take something different away from this book. It's far from being conclusive, it left me with that "hmmmm...okay" feeling in my head, but i thoroughly enjoyed it for precisely that reason and i've rarely consumed a book with such voracity. You may love it, you may hate it, but GIVE IT A GO... it's the only way you'll ever find out.   hide

Dieses Buch hat mich zutiefst berührt. Ehrlich! Zuerst mal, dies ist nicht einfach ein Buch über das Erwachsenwerden. Natürlich geht es um einen Teenager, der mit der Welt um sich herum nicht klar kommt und in einer bestimmten Art und Weise rebelliert. Typischer Teenagerkram, könnte man sagen. Aber Holden Caulfield passt irgendwie in überhaupt keines der uns bekannten Rollenbilder von...more

Dieses Buch hat mich zutiefst berührt. Ehrlich! Zuerst mal, dies ist nicht einfach ein Buch über das Erwachsenwerden. Natürlich geht es um einen Teenager, der mit der Welt um sich herum nicht klar kommt und in einer bestimmten Art und Weise rebelliert. Typischer Teenagerkram, könnte man sagen. Aber Holden Caulfield passt irgendwie in überhaupt keines der uns bekannten Rollenbilder von Jugendlichen hinein. Das merkt man schon daran, dass er im Buch alle die Aktivitäten seiner Mitschüler in der High School, egal ob sportliche oder intellektuelle oder sonstige, ablehnt. Er nimmt die Welt auf eine sehr spezielle Art wahr. Wenn er in der Stadt herumzieht und die Menschen beobachtet, richtet er seine Aufmerksamkeit auf Dinge, die wir nicht unbedingt erwarten würden. Meist begleitet vom Kommentar "That killed me!" Er wächst einem ans Herz, obwohl man ihn nicht vollständig verstehen kann. Ich weiss, das klingt jetzt etwas nebulös, aber ist halt schon eine Weile her als ich es gelesen habe.   hide