The Catcher in the Rye

I had high hopes for this apparent classic by J.D. Salinger. Like everyone else, I had heard immense praise for the book, and was expecting an American classic such as To Kill a Mockingbird. I was extremely disappointed. I would venture as far to say that it is one of the worst books I've ever read. For starters, there is no plot. The book is just a haphazard collection of stories that are mostly insignificant and confusing. I kept waiting and waiting for something to happen, but it never did. Holden just kept wandering and doing the same thing over and over. Another point, the book is ridiculously and unnecessarily repetitive to the point that I wanted to rip the book to shreds. Every time I read the word "phony", "madman", "crazy", or the like made me angrier and kept me wanting to get the book over with. Also, the way Holden talks about "giving old Jane Gallagher a buzz" (and then never doing it) about 100 times adds to the frustration (he calls almost everyone "old"...). I do see the meaning behind this book, and the symbols, but that does not make up for a poorly written, boring book. The use of language, the endless repetition, and the lack of plot truly disappointed me. In my opinion, this book is not worth a read.

This is the first 300-page book I've ever read in one sitting -- and I'm not a big novel reader. I just couldn't wait to see how it ended. There is so much symbolism in the book, you almost need an algorithm to keep track of it.

So, why is this an American classic? Do you other reviewers even need to ask? This is literature at its finest. The writing is excellent -- try to remember that books were not written in this conversational tone in 1951. The genius of this book is that the author is talking directly to the reader through Holden Caulfield! YOU are the psychoanalyst! This is what most people (and reviewers) overlook about this novel. The burden is on the reader to (gradually) figure out the protagonist's pathology -- just like a real psychologist would.

Other reasons this is an American classic: the masterful use of foreshadowing, irony and symbolism.

I won't ruin it for you if you haven't read it, but go get it and read it. Buy it on a Friday, though, since you probably won't be able to put it down until you finish it.

I read this book in summer school, probably when i myself was holdens age in the book. Its about a repressed " trustfund kid", who has a bitter cynical view of his friends and everything i guess he should like. But there are a set of events that change things, and open i think from my opinion anyhow holdens feelings. I think its an exceptionally great book, with important life lessons. And show you that sometimes these crappy things you feel that consume your life, really arent so big and looming compare4d to others things. And if you dont let them continue to be...i recommend it. I think its great

First off, I don't understand why there's so much hate around this novel. I'd say it's one of the best pieces of American literature I have ever read. The reader's brief journey through Holden's transition from the innocent over to the "perverted" adult world. From Holden's encounter with the water-spitting perverts to Holden's date with Sally in New York, the Catcher in the Rye is a great example of what the teenage years are like. This excellent novel is one that I truly related to, being a teenager experiencing some of the same feelings that Holden feels. While I don't know what it feels like to lose a loved one like Holden does, I understand how he feels about sexuality and that struggle to maintain what is innocent in the world, and I even could experience some of what it would feel like to lose a loved one through Holden's touching rhetoric in the novel. Some people might be offended by Holden's swearing, but I believe it helps us see more eye-to-eye to Holden. If the novel was written in a more articulate manner, the theme of the struggle for communication would be harder to convey. Furthermore, we relate more with him and feel like he is one of us. In several points of the novel, I felt myself laughing when funny parts happened and crying when sad parts occurred. The Catcher in the Rye is a touching novel that every teenager should read in order to preserve his character, something Holden would be very proud of.

Evan
P.S. I'm "Holden" on to my past as well...I think I belong in a mental instution and need to be psychoanalyzed. I came to that realization after reading this novel haha =]

The Catcher in the Rye / 0-316-76948-7

There's not much to be said about Salinger's classic that hasn't already been said. The intense pain and longing of adolescence is tangible here - along with the impossible, conflicting desires that rage through these troubled years. Like any other boy his age, Holden longs for immediately available sex, but he cannot reconcile this longing with his emotional need for love and intimacy. Like so many of his peers, Holden yearns for adulthood and maturity and independence yet feels the pangs of sadness that come with the loss of innocence. He knows, instinctively, that his own innocence is already lost, but wishes, somehow, to slow the loss of innocence for those he loves - those people in his life whom he deems (as the highest compliment an adolescent can give) to be not phony.