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The Catcher in the Rye

J.D. Salinger

Start date: February 1, 2018

Finish date: February 28, 2018

Discussion: New School Classics- 1915-2005

Why we're reading this: Revisit the Shelf Group Read, February 2018

Previous Group Reads:
Book of the Month, November 2010
[close] Revisit the Shelf Group Read, February 2018

Previous Group Reads:
Book of the Month, November 2010

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New School Classics- 1915-2005

The Stepford Wives - Spoilers
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What Members Thought

Feb 01, 2010 Laura rated it really liked it

Shelves: american-fiction, fiction-20th-century, mtbr-challenge-2014, e-books, banned-books, 1001-books-you-must-read-before-you, read-2014

Despite all controversial reviews about this book, I really liked it.

What intrigues me is why this book is considered as a "banned" one.

According to Wiki, "in 1960, a teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma was fired for assigning the novel in class; he was later reinstated. Between 1961 and 1982, The Catcher in the Rye was the most censored book in high schools and libraries in the United States. The book was banned in the Issaquah, Washington, high schools in 1978 as being part of an "overall communist plo ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Apr 13, 2022 Debra Harrison rated it really liked it

So far, I do not love this book and find myself wondering from time to time what the heck all the fuss is about regarding this book. I will persevere and I have hope it will pick up. My wife and I talked about this book and she says, "You must consider that at the time it was written, this was very "modern" and the characters were written in new ways."
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5 likes · Like · see review

Jan 05, 2014 J Simpson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 1950s, favorites, culture, classics, new-york, new-england, greatest-books-of-all-time, 1001-books-to-read-before-you-die, east-coast, nyc

i had never read Catcher In The Rye, before my girlfriend recommended it to me.
It came at just the right time, compelling me towards authenticity, towards real raw and ragged human interaction.
Salinger's characters are deep and scarily lifelike. I love the way he writes dialogue, i really do.
This is a must read for writers, show you how it's done, with a quickly moving plot, which still manages to be slice of life, atmospheric and poetic. Bonus points for the descriptions of New York in the e ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 06, 2018 Maggie rated it really liked it

Shelves: boxall-1001, general-fiction, fiction, classics, guardian-1000, coming-of-age, unreliable-narrator, usa

Summary of Catcher in the Rye by Shmoop

Holden is transitioning from childhood to adulthood, and as he loses his innocence and is exposed to human nature, his response is violent, confused and troubled. His views on people are cynical and judgmental, yet these are a facade to protect his inward sensitive nature from being hurt. And yet this is a boy who is very much hurt – in the past from the death of his brother Allie, the death of a schoolmate James Castle, and possible sexual harassment, and Summary of Catcher in the Rye by Shmoop

Holden is transitioning from childhood to adulthood, and as he loses his innocence and is exposed to human nature, his response is violent, confused and troubled. His views on people are cynical and judgmental, yet these are a facade to protect his inward sensitive nature from being hurt. And yet this is a boy who is very much hurt – in the past from the death of his brother Allie, the death of a schoolmate James Castle, and possible sexual harassment, and in school by injustice and misunderstandings. He is compassionate and recognises the cruelties and injustice of human society, and he wants to solve these issues, but recognising that he is unable to, turns to escapism instead. Hence he spends the entire book escaping from his parents when he is expelled, and during this time frequently escapes from interactions with various people including schoolmates, old friends and family.

The title refers to a poem that a boy recites at one point. Holden overhears him and imagines himself as the catcher in the rye catching children who fall off the edge of the rye, but in reality the poem actually questions whether casual sex is acceptable. That epitomises the book. Holden has ideals, but his ideals are often in conflict with the realities of society. For example, he goes into a museum for peace and quiet, but finds a “F—- you” sign scribbled on the wall. This conflict confused and depresses him, and drives him to wild behaviour and even illness, although it is never fully explained to what extent his illness is physical or mental.

Then comes Phoebe, Holden’s saving grace. Of all the people he thinks he hates, Holden loves Phoebe. When she is angry at him, instead of escaping from her like he does with other people, he tries to win her back. And Phoebe, through her simple, pure, unconditional love and care for Holden, manages, at the end, to help Holden achieve some balance in his relationship with society. Society remains imperfect, but Holden comes to a fragile acceptance of society and his place in it. Ultimately, Holden is lonely, and although much of his loneliness is self-wrought, he is healed by Phoebe’s non-judgmental refusal to let him be alone.

I know many people hate Holden. I don’t. I don’t fully see him as a reflection of my teenage phase (I was much less troubled), but I do sympathise with his struggle to fit in and to understand the world, and the defence mechanisms he employs to cope with harsh realities. He is not whiny – in fact, though he does complain a lot in private, in public he is well-mannered and keeps much of his problems to himself. The book ended on an open note, but I do hope that those who find themselves in Holden’s situation achieve healing and peace.
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1 like · Like · see review