Recently, I have been reading a lot for my English Lit class and I have just finished reading The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger for my coursework.
The narrative itself is quite straightforward; there is no major event. Essentially the reader goes on a two day journey with Holden Caulfield, the (shall we say) boy rebel of his time. I myself loved Holden! He’s the type of character I like, brutally honest and not afraid to be free of thought (at least from what we hear from him).
Readers must often forget that he’s a wealthy boy and very privileged but he seems to reject that society and want to live a simple life. This is shown by how much he yearns for companionship throughout the novel, whether it be from Sally Heyes or younger sister Phoebe whom he adores. I get Holden though – when you’re a teenager little things can be really frustrating even if you have everything like Holden; it doesn’t mean you feel you have it all!
The thing with Holden is, I think he never really accepts the whole society thing, the way that people conform. We probably wouldn’t act the way we do if there wasn’t so much pressure in today’s society. I know myself that most of the time it’s easier to just go along and get on with things than tell anyone or act against the way people expect.
Allie, Holden’s kid brother, breaks my heart with his role in the book. His death obviously torments Holden, I think this could be the reason Holden hates change so much and is hung up on the fact he might have changed every time he comes home. People leave, relationships break down, we lose friends and we lose family but sometimes it’s not easy at all to handle that. It’s scary to think how things change in the blink of an eye.
As for D.B (the elder brother), Holden often talks about him like he’s ashamed or annoyed but I don’t think it’s directed at him. I think Holden acts that way towards him because he’s played right into the society that he hates and rejects so much. Lets be real, our society is ‘phony’ – how do we know whether people are being themselves or not? We’re so influenced by the media and those around us so it would be kind of weird not to.
Overall, I liked and related to the character of Holden and his opinions more than the story. Perhaps thats what Salinger wanted? Is this why the story is so linear with not much happening because he wishes we’d pay more attention to others than be so affected by society’s rules? Who knows? A truly fascinating coming-of-age novel for the pessimist in each and every one of us.
- Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop
