Catcher in the Rye

In the first few chapters I could not stop hating Holden for his irritating-always complaining-calling everybody around a ‘phony’ and a ‘moron’- attitude. Well then somehow, I realized that this book got me hooked up until the end. This book talks about a teenage boy who is afraid of growing up, insecure and is still in search of who he is and what he wants. He experiences a...more

In the first few chapters I could not stop hating Holden for his irritating-always complaining-calling everybody around a ‘phony’ and a ‘moron’- attitude. Well then somehow, I realized that this book got me hooked up until the end. This book talks about a teenage boy who is afraid of growing up, insecure and is still in search of who he is and what he wants. He experiences a conflict between the childhood and the adulthood world. This book reminds me that having a feeling about being alienated and isolated in your teenage years is just a phase that would soon just past. And hey, it’s normal. As much as I hated Holden at first, I just could not help being sorry for this guy, and at some point I realized that I’ve been this guy! This book touched me deeply. I found the relationship between Holden and his sister—Phoebe very touching. Sometimes a younger person or another person may know you better than you think you know yourself. In the end, he realized that his thought about wanting to live better off isolated is a mistake. He cannot live alone as well as others around him cannot live without him. Another character in this book who I found important is his teacher who Holden came to seek comfort in the end (I forgot that teacher’s name). This teacher tells him to focus back to his studies so that he could actually find what he is interested in the most. School is not about getting straight A’s, it is a world where you could discover who you really are and what you really want to do in your life. Genius! Holden shows that he is interested in English (the only subject he didn’t fail) even though he didn’t realize it yet. Holden is not as bad as he thinks he is, he is just a guy trying to figure out his place in his world. Aren’t we all???   hide

Catcher In The Rye is a land mark piece of work a genius who kept himself low-key among literary giants for the period of his career. This is the work he is most known for, as it is required reading for a lot of high school students - with a rejection and acceptance rate that usually balances out the fact that, "I have to read this book in school so I don't like it."Catcher is like watching a...more

Catcher In The Rye is a land mark piece of work a genius who kept himself low-key among literary giants for the period of his career. This is the work he is most known for, as it is required reading for a lot of high school students - with a rejection and acceptance rate that usually balances out the fact that, "I have to read this book in school so I don't like it."Catcher is like watching a film you've never seen before. Pieces of dialog, narration, and even scenes themselves remind you of things you can't put your finger on or form a name of form to - this is probably because it happened to you, or these people are like you, or the people you know.I haven't ever seen Catcher as a whiny portrait for teen angsters ever, comparable to "Perks Of Being A Wallflower" but I rather see it as a fantastic character study that hasn't been matched since in Salinger's beautiful style as an artist.   hide

After reading this book a second time, I'm having some difficulty calling it a favorite still. It's MARVELOUS, sure, and great writing but I don't know that it's a favorite. Holden is perhaps the most complex character I've ever read, the same can be said about the novel. If this entire book is about growing up (which I believe it is) than isn't it strange that...more

After reading this book a second time, I'm having some difficulty calling it a favorite still. It's MARVELOUS, sure, and great writing but I don't know that it's a favorite. Holden is perhaps the most complex character I've ever read, the same can be said about the novel. If this entire book is about growing up (which I believe it is) than isn't it strange that Holden is immature in the telling of the story given that he's speaking after the fact? Even at the close of the novel he's a brat kid. I also haven't yet figured out the falling motief for the simple fact that James Castle fell and died, and yet Holden believes at the end that it's ok to fall? I almost wonder if Salinger himself wanted to be a "Catcher in the Rye" because if there was ever a book warning teens like Holden, this is it.   hide

I am reading my favorite book again, for the first time in years. The reader needs to look beyond the face value of this book. The older I get, the better I understand how the world works--and Salinger summed it up pretty nicely in this book! For those who dislike it for it "just being about coming-of-age": it is so much more than that, but only if you are able to actually experience some of...more

I am reading my favorite book again, for the first time in years. The reader needs to look beyond the face value of this book. The older I get, the better I understand how the world works--and Salinger summed it up pretty nicely in this book! For those who dislike it for it "just being about coming-of-age": it is so much more than that, but only if you are able to actually experience some of the same real-world situations as the main character (at ANY age). There are some people in this world who choose to work with or in the "system" rather than against it (like Holden)--or who work outside the entire system of normalcy in society. Those who have realized this mere fact, and recognized that "normal" behavior and what society deems appropriate is really just ingrained naturalization (or to use a term I don't like so much it's like "brainwashing"), will enjoy this book immensely. Others will probably not be able to comprehend the main character's plight.   hide

I remember in my freshment year, Dr.Li(Whenever I recalled this title, I couldn't help grinning) highly recommented us to read The Catcher in the Rye. Since I thought my reading level was still dwelling over the popular books, it was not in my reading list. Two years past, and I finally picked up this book. I must confess that after reading it, I didn't get a strong impression of it. Chiefly...more

I remember in my freshment year, Dr.Li(Whenever I recalled this title, I couldn't help grinning) highly recommented us to read The Catcher in the Rye. Since I thought my reading level was still dwelling over the popular books, it was not in my reading list. Two years past, and I finally picked up this book. I must confess that after reading it, I didn't get a strong impression of it. Chiefly because it was elaborated through a teenage's perspectives. As to me, I am way above that age. Perhaps once, I had similar feelings like Holden- the protagnist in the book: the isolated sentiments, the poignant aversion to hypocrites and the unadaptableness to society. In a word, life sucks. Though some of the embers remain deep down in my heart, most of them have gone with the wind.Nevertheless, one scene of the book did touch me: the conversation between Holden and his sister-Phoebe. At that point, Holden wished he'd just be the catcher in the rye and protected the innocence of other teenages. This saying originally came from the work of Robert Burns. The brilliance of J.D.Salinger lies in that he gave this saying a new meaning. And this meaning resonates people's compassions towards Holden and his dilemma.What I don't like about the book, however, is its ending. Usually, authors are supposed to attach great sentences and meaningful messages to the last chapter. But it didn't happen in this book. I couldn't help but feel that it has a good start, but a poor finish.Perchance, my literature accomplishment limit my view on this book so that it didn't reach the same level as The Bell Jar in my opinion.   hide

If I were to recommend only one book to anybody, I would say "The Catcher in the Rye". I've never met anyone in person who said (s)he hated it, but I have read here and there people seeing a hopeless loser in Holden Caulfield who has got dreams but no actual standing to achieve them. There are people who just want every book to end with some moral and/or a certain ending. But I consider this...more

If I were to recommend only one book to anybody, I would say "The Catcher in the Rye". I've never met anyone in person who said (s)he hated it, but I have read here and there people seeing a hopeless loser in Holden Caulfield who has got dreams but no actual standing to achieve them. There are people who just want every book to end with some moral and/or a certain ending. But I consider this books open end a key to it's success. On my first reading, I finished it in just one long long reading. I took it even to my dinner table. And a few more readings were still to follow. Salinger has put together an ageless fiction where the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, lives a few days of his life with you. In first person narration he tells you about his jumbled-up his life. There is lot more ... Karina Beck has summed up a few things about the book below (15th review before this). If you ask me I'll say, "Give it a try."   hide

Everything is phony...after you read this book. Holden (the narrator) convinces you that the world is filled with pretentious, posturing fools and you and he are the only ones who are man (or woman) enough to face the facts and confront our reality. In the end, though, Holden is just a troubled teen running away from home who thinks the world revolves around himself. Once you get past your...more

Everything is phony...after you read this book. Holden (the narrator) convinces you that the world is filled with pretentious, posturing fools and you and he are the only ones who are man (or woman) enough to face the facts and confront our reality. In the end, though, Holden is just a troubled teen running away from home who thinks the world revolves around himself. Once you get past your rebellion and college years, you realize how ridiculous and posturing Holden himself is, despite his hatred of that kind of false-ness. Salinger has some intense and amazing short stories in his collection '9 Stories' that deal with these same themes but from the POV of adults. Which, to me, make them more poignant. Not that only adults cane truly discover the world's phony-ness, but that these adults are more pathetic, sad, and cynical than any teenager could be. Check out Seymour Glass and the Glass family--they have some serious issues and this translates better. Raise High the Roofbeams is a novella about the Glass family too.   hide

This book reminds me a lot of Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea...readers either love it or hated it...without much middle ground. I loved The Ole Man and the Sea, but really couldn't stand The Catcher in the Rye. It wasn't that I didn't get it, I just don't think I appreciated the cynicism. I also think that Salinger was too old to truly understand the inner workings of a young man...more

This book reminds me a lot of Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea...readers either love it or hated it...without much middle ground. I loved The Ole Man and the Sea, but really couldn't stand The Catcher in the Rye. It wasn't that I didn't get it, I just don't think I appreciated the cynicism. I also think that Salinger was too old to truly understand the inner workings of a young man anymore. His depiction of apathetic youth was very two dimensional. Holden's 'grand' thoughts were the cynical observations of a man much older who could have at the very least witnessed the world mistreating people. I am not so naive as to think young people are all optimistic and idealistic, but I think Salinger damaged his credibility by using a caricature depiction of youth that belied an ulterior motive. To put it another way, because his character was unbelievable as a young man, I am not inclined to believe that young people are that bitter. I know they can be, but not because Salinger presented it that way. Just my two cents. ~Blue Skies~   hide

I didn't like this book, because although it was filled with character development, there was no actual plot to the story and it made the book long and drawn out. Especially if you're like me and you wanted to smack Holden upside the head and tell him to grow up. It was well written, but not my cup of tea I can understand why people, especially teenagers are so enamored by this book, Holden...more

I didn't like this book, because although it was filled with character development, there was no actual plot to the story and it made the book long and drawn out. Especially if you're like me and you wanted to smack Holden upside the head and tell him to grow up. It was well written, but not my cup of tea I can understand why people, especially teenagers are so enamored by this book, Holden Caulfield is the epitome of a poor little rich boy who's lost all faith in the world. Salinger does a great job of portraying a hypocritical, angsty boy who pretends to know everything about the world, but it reality is still very naive. He's left the emotional damage because of his brother's death and a history of sexual abuse un healed and it sent him into a dark, downward spiral to the point where he's suicidal. I personally was very glad that he does seem to come to terms with his depression and is seeking help for it by the end of the book.   hide