The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is is a great book about finding your identity along all the conflict. The first-person narrative, Bildungsroman Novel was written based in the early 50’s.The main Character, Holden Caulfield was a young man who struggled in all subjects besides English which was the cause of him having to end up in Pencey prep, his fourth school. The death of his brother, Allie left him traumatized. It lead to him having serious psychological issues and a problem with lying to everyone along with thinking and claiming they are all a “phony”.
Holden struggled stepping up mentally. He partially wanted to associate himself with others in a mature way but a part of him pulled away from the adult world calling it a “phony”. Due to Holden’s search for self identity, he realizes that his innocence is what is holding him back.
I would rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars being that, Holden finally found his true identity even though he was lost and isolated and the journey he took to get back on his feet was inspiring. I would recommend this book to teens 13 and older due to the adult language, drug use, and prostitution involved in the book. A more mature mind would handle the information more carefully.

I've just finished reading The Catcher In The Rye. To begin with, I found it undoubtedly tricky to feel engaged and keep wanting to persevere with the book - probably because it is like nothing I have ever read before. The writing style is extremely unique, however the further you delve into the books the more aware you become of what certain things represent. The Catcher In Rye is absolutely brimming with symbolism, and I personally interpreted the main themes to be growing up, self-protection and lies. I found that there was never really any main event - the book just consists of pointless encounters in Holden Caulfield, the controversial main characters', life. At first I found this rather tedious, as usually in books I read there is a build-up and then something shocking and dramatic occurs. However, I soon came to realize that the briskness and lack of depth in the encounters featured in the book actually mean something. It, to me, represents the way Holden sees life. I can't say I didn't enjoy seeing things from Caulfield's perspective - as he is both witty and hateful, which I found undeniably intriguing. Overall, I can say that this book is rightfully called a classic and one of the best novels American Literature has ever produced, and I would not dare to label it any less. It just takes time to really digest and get to know Holden, and once the motifs become clearer, the story itself becomes a whole lot more enjoyable.

2.5, really.

Maybe it’s because I am not a 16 year old boy, but I really don’t see the hype for The Catcher in the Rye.

First off, Holden talks in circles. He constantly repeats things.
Yeah, I get it. You smoke too much so you run out of breathe faster. I think I caught that the first 7 times you mentioned it, Holden.

The overuse of words like “crumby”, and “phony” drove me up the damn wall. Holden calls people who pretend to like this and that phony. People who “fake” their way through situations. Yeah Holden, you do the same thing. I believe you called it “bullshitting” though.

He is really one of those people who hate something just because everyone else likes it. (Hipster alert!) I think his sister even mentioned that around page 169 or so. He hates everything. He likes nobody.

Now his sister, Phoebe, I really liked. I enjoyed the relationship between Holden and her. It was sweet and some of the only times that I felt really connected to the story.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate it. I liked it here and there, but I really wish I could have saw the “masterpiece” that some other people have seen in this book.

Reader reviewed by tay

The Catcher in the Rye is a coming of age novel about a sixteen year old boy named Holden Caulfield. In this novel, Holden tries to find his own place in society because he feels like he doesnt belong. He goes through many different experiences and eventually learns responsibility and how to live his life. He isolates himself from the rest of society and he uses this isolation to show that he is above everyone else and as a result will not talk to anyone else. Another very important theme is this novel is growing up. Holden refuses to grow up because he believes becoming an adult will ruin him and make him phony. He thinks that kids should not grow up because then they will have to do adult things which will ruin their minds. This book is a great read. Holden is very funny at times and the novel is written beautyfully.

Reader reviewed by OIKZ

I was really looking forward to embellish my bookshelf and reading list when I heard about this book. After I recently finished reading the book, I found out, there was nothing really to embellish. The storyline is vague, the protagonist is very dull, the overall complication and dilemmas the character was going through in each chapter was not very clear, and rather, uninteresting. But then again, I have to respect the year that most teenagers were involved in during that specific time. Overall is very quick to read, and just s typical young adult novel. Nothing really to report.

Reader reviewed by Banana Split

Holden is a boy of sixteen years. He is failing in school and then is expelled. He gets really mad about everything and decides to go to Manhattan for a vacation. While there he does lots of things, he flirts with women in their 30s, he tries to drink, and smokes a lot of cigars. When his vacation is done he goes around town doing nothing. He tries to get some girls he knows to go out with him but ends up making them mad at him. He then tries to find Phoebe his sister and tell her what is happening to him. Phoebe makes him understand and realize that he never likes anything, and takes everything for granted. He then tries to tell Phoebe that he is going to run away, but ends up making her cry. He then realizes that he made such a big mistake and he fixes it by making her happy. In the end, he decides to get serious and he goes home, only to get sick but still he is optimistic about his future.

This book made me realize that working hard can pay off and avoiding things may backstab you later. I really liked this book. It was really good. :)

 

 

Reader reviewed by VFang

I thought this book was really good. Holden struggles with so much and is just a great character to read. I loved how he was trying to find his way in a world that he saw as so unmoral and unfair. JD Salinger  doesnt hold back as he shows a broad spectrum of character flaws in both Holden and the people around him. I think it is a great coming of age story. A book I would recommend that everyone read at some point in their lives. Its definitely not one that everyone will like but hey cant please everyone.
PS.Just a random fact the guy who killed John Lennon, Mark Chapman read and emulated Holden alot. And actually set down and started to read the book again right after killing John Lennon.(Just a random fact I thought I'd include)

Reader reviewed by Laura

I'm fairly undecided as to how I feel about this book. As it was well
written and considered one of the classics I somehow found my self
anxious to get to the end, to just finish it already. I don't think I
really related to the main character, which is possibly why this novel
seem to lay flat for the most part for me. I'm having a hard time
understanding how this is considered a classic. I guess for it's time
it is pretty edgy but does edginess grant this such a high place in the
literary hall of fame?? Maybe it's just me......

Reader reviewed by abscae

I have to say, I was truly amazed about this book. Some people say this book is about a boy who's just been kicked out of school, too scared to tell his parents, so he wanders New York City for three days with a limited amount of money. I say this book is about coming to terms of a death of a sibling, and trying to find the meaning of life.

So, as said, Holden's been kicked out of school. His brother, Allie, died a while ago, and since then he doesn't want to do well. So he lets his grades plummet. He doesn't tell his parents, and he gets kicked out (for the umpteenth time).

I love this book solely because of how real it felt. It didn't feel like a character, it felt like a story, and it made me feel so sympathetic to Holden, it's amazing. Not only that, but just the hidden meaning behind the book was phenomenal.

Read it, you won't regret it.

Reader reviewed by Megan

Holden Caulfield tells us part of his story in Catcher in the Rye. At sixteen years of age, Holden has already been kicked out of three schools, when he gets kicked out of the fourth one. Instead of waiting until the Christmas holidays to go home, he leaves school early and goes to New York. Although a very big part of the book centers on his complaining, you eventually realize that he is in a mental facility undergoing treatment while he is telling his story. The Catcher in the Rye is a book that every person should read at one point or another.