I recently read this again; I hadn't read it since I was a senior in high school. My reaction was a bit different this time. This time around, I don't see Holden Caulfield as such a sympathetic character. Perhaps generational issues are bigger than they seem, but the only character I enjoyed was Phoebe, Holden's younger sister, even though I doubt that a 10-year-old could be that precocious. Maybe it's a gender thing, as well. Even when I was 18, I don't ever remember feeling the sort of angst that Holden does, and I think a lot of the intensity of the novel is lost if you don't identify with him. The Catcher in the Rye was first published in 1945, and still sells hundreds of thousands of copies around the world every year. Over the years, it has been the most censored book in high school libraries in the United States, as well as the second-most designated as assigned reading, a contrast that seems to fit the directionless mental state of the main character. I do think it's interesting that as I was reading, I kept picturing how the story would play as a movie. Apparently, I'm not the only one. Numerous attempts have been made to obtain the film rights, including by Steven Spielberg, but Salinger to this day refuses to even discuss it. Actually, given Holden Caulfield's distaste for the entire movie genre, I guess that shouldn't be too surprising.
I thought Catcher in the Rye was a strange book in that, like you said, it didn't really have a direction. I think it could be apt to assign this to Holden's mental state as the disillusioned teenager and all that. Only that after reading more of JD Salinger's work (Okay, most of Nine Stories, eight out of nine at least) I decided that he does that a lot. Rather than having clear cut plots and the like they seem more like random snapshots out of that person's life. The other odd thing about his stories is the characters. Which probably relates more to what you were saying, heh. I know I definitely did. It's actually rare to hear what you said. Holden is supposedly a character that everyone relates so (possibly just every teenager, which would partially explain why I related to him too) And after reading Catcher in the Rye (and an article about it online, I wish I could find it) it almost seems that Salinger knew very well what he was doing. After reading (most of) Nine Stories I thought of Salinger as a sort of exploiter of poignancy...he was very good at shaping a character and a story to make the reader feel exactly the emotion he wanted you to feel. With Holden Caulfield, it was confusion disillusionment and anger. In "For Esmé - with Love and Squalor" it was sadness. Nonetheless Salinger exploits our emotions with a ridiculous amount of grace, so it's hard to fault him for it.
I enjoy Salinger's writing, too. But at my age my sympathies naturally tend more toward Holden Caulfield's parents, whom we never meet directly in the novel, although we do get an idea about their attitudes toward Holden's problems. I assume that was quite intentional on Salinger's part. Keeping key characters hidden is a good way to build tension. When I was in high school I thought that all parents should read Catcher in the Rye. I still think they should, but it's from a different perspective now. I see Holden more from a mother's viewpoint this time, and I felt a little frustrated that she wasn't brought into the story more.
I haven't read it since I was 17. I guess I was just a huge nerd, but I thought Holden was a hypocrite and probably terrible to hang out with. I don't remember much else about it.
Salinger is grossly overrated. I tried reading a couple of his other short, pathetic works and I was just like "this is writing?" They don't ever seem to have a point. Having that said I did enjoy catcher in the rye back in high school probably because I felt that I DID relate to Holden. It's funny that someone said it's the most censored book in highschools, because we had A Clockwork Orange in my highschool! And none of it was censored.
Like many protagonists he appeals to us because he's alone and misunderstood. Which is interesting because that applies to what seems like the majority of us. Not so alone and misunderstood after all, I suppose. It was my favorite book in high school. I had a deeper connection (empathy) to it than any other book and I admit that I was charmed by Holden like no other fictional character. I think it might be interesting to revisit the book as an adult.
Honestly this book has never really done it for me... I never felt too much empathy towards the character. I didn't mind reading it, but I guess it just didn't really move me either.
I agree with the OP and others in that I read it around 16 and thought it was great. I was more idealistic at that time and related/felt sympathy towards Holden. I re-read it last year at 22 and although I still did enjoy the book it was for different reasons. I couldnt identify with Holden much anymore. I guess this is growing up.
seem too one dimensional for me. angsty teen. yea i get it. no need for that much elaboration. would have been a better brochure than a book.
It should be noted that this is one author who made a true statement regarding the human condition in his writings and has never capitulated to simple avarice. The point here is that he ingeniously developed each character in the course of his novel, to which any and all of us could relate, regardless of time or the particular age of the reader.
Yeah, I can see your point. And I guess it's not necessary to sympathize with a character in order to appreciate what he represents. I think my favorite character was Phoebe. She represents the sort of childhood innocence that Holden has lost, but without necessarily having anything to replace it. Thus his predicament. Phoebe has an innate sort of wisdom, although she still sees things with a simplistic child's eye. I don't think I'll ever be able to identify with Holden's angst, and therefore I'll probably always miss the true strength of the novel. I always liked Salinger's writing style though, so it wasn't an altogether bad read. I just wanted him to phone his mother!
I find this novel horribly overrated, but also a bit intriguing. Holden embodies certain aspects of teen hood that most everyone can relate to. However, the story might as well not even be there - cause it's not the least bit interesting.
"The Catcher in The Rye" is an awesome piece of literature. That does not and cannot change as YOU get older.
LostOne, obviously it changed for her. I find that most people either love Holden Caulfield or just think he is a whiny bitch. I happen to love him.
Personally, I love him. He's probably one of the most universal characters ever written. It's just a shame about the rest of the book =P
I cant speak from a female's point of view, and I read the book when I was 16 just back from being kicked out of boarding school...in a very similar situation to Holden. The style of the novel is pretty perfect. The story is never boring....you can say the plot isn't interesting but do you know someone who actually put down the novel after getting into it? The novel isn't just about teen angst, it's about time. The passage of people in and out of our lives. Phoebe represents innocence but you can picture her growing up and having her own problems. Holden is in the phase of realizing adults don't have all the answers and the world is chaotic. The fault I find with Salinger is he pretty much just re-did Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" - updated, Americanized, and made it reader friendly. If you don't think Holden is a sympathetic character, well, that is sort of the point of the book :smilielol5:
I've read it 3 times. We can all relate to Houlden. I'm pretty sure all of us at one point didn't want to grow up - or still don't. If I read it again in 20 years I will most likely view it from many other views, that I would never imagine, but my opinion on the book will probably not change. I just noticed the last post before mine is over a year old. Sorry if I'm grave digging here.
I'm sort of a rarity in that I enjoy this book more with each subsequent reading as I get older. I first read this at 17 and couldn't relate at all. I never really went through a rebellious stage; I was a good student and had a good relationship with my parents so I didn't really get what Holden's angst was all about. I read it again when I was 20 or 21 at a time when I felt very adrift in life and very cut off from the perfection I knew as a teenager. I felt I understood Holden perfectly during this reading. All of a sudden the book went from being mediocre to being this amazing piece of literature with one of the most real characters I had ever encountered in a book. I've read it every year or so since then and even though I don't really relate to Holden's angst so much anymore, I still love the book and his character so much. I don't find the plot to be boring at all. There's something I love about the book taking place between the time when he's expelled and the moment when his parents find out. All Salinger's stories' plots are a little vague in that there is not a lot of definitive action taking place, but I like that because I feel like its a device he uses to really let the characters and themes flourish and take precedence over using action to move the plot along.
