The Catcher in the Rye

Book Review

It's interesting to read a book that is usually a mandatory part of an English class curriculum. I feel like a teacher isn't holding me responsible for analyzing the deeper themes of the writing and it's up to me to decide how far I want to take my understanding of the literature. Reading The Catcher in the Rye casually, I'll admit that a lot of themes and ideas probably slipped through the cracks for me. My main takeaway is that J.D. Salinger is able to expertly capture the feeling of a young boy's immature worldview and adolescent thought. Holden Caulfield, the main protagonist, is a high school boy who is used to blowing off his "responsibilities," not trying at school, and engaging in minor delinquent actions like underage smoking and drinking. The book is entirely written in his first person perspective, and he's reflecting on some events that happened in his not-so-distant past, shortly after he flunked out of his prep school. Overall, I found the story to be very introspective and kind of sad that Holden seemed like such a bright soul but was essentially allowing himself to slip into his own world of hatred for others and self-doubt about the world.

After reading a deeper analysis of the story, I'm starting to realize that this book is about the painfulness of growing up and Holden's near rejection of adulthood. He is consumed by his view that the people around him are "phony," and it's almost funny how often that word is used throughout the novel. But even though his character is clearly problematic, it's also interesting how I found myself relating to a lot of the things he would say. Similar to Holden, there are also a lot of things I find to be "phony" in the world. A person's willingness to change and grow is very important, and this is a character attribute Holden was missing. It's hopeful to know that something in him may have changed by the end of the story, but the final fate of his character will be left up to our imaginations.