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The Catcher in the Rye
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Is this book anything like The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton?
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Anthony
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rated it 5 stars
Dec 03, 2012 12:08PM
In my opinion it's not even close. The Outsiders is a coming of age tale of Ponyboy. Catcher is a justification for a punk kid to keep acting like a punk kid.
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Um, no because the outsiders is good and this book SUCKS. But that's just my opinion, I know plenty of people who love this stupid story.
Elia wrote: "Um, no because the outsiders is good and this book SUCKS. But that's just my opinion, I know plenty of people who love this stupid story."Elia, what did you like best about The Outsiders?
That has to be the cutest question I've heard all day! Akin to " Mommy, am I like Ke$hia?" No dear, SE Hinton is an innocent 15 year old girl, who carefully crafted a thoughtful if naive story of redemption. JD Salinger is a demented speed freak who, during a sweat soaked, 48 hour bender created a confusing beast of a story with no real central purpose. Now finish your crumpets, dear!
Oh, don't get me wrong. I actually like Catcher, but I'm an English teacher, so I tend to like things differently than others. My comment was only toward the comparison. As far as The Outsiders, rarely do I think a movie is as good as the book, but this time, I did. The book, and most of Hinton's work is more about the story than the craft of language. This is not a criticism as much as a personal preference of mine. There is a lot more to Holden than a lot of people get.
NO NO NO I despise catcher. Its a waste and 40 years of English teachers assigning this mess as an example of good literature is why teens hate reading.
Scott wrote: No dear, SE Hinton is an innocent 15 year old girl, who carefully crafted a thoughtful if naive story of..."Funny thats how catcher reads to me in hindsight like a babbling speed freak with no destination in mind and no clear train of thought.
Lara's right---Sadly, It's much easier to tear down a work, than to understand it. The Catcher in the Rye is more a display of the restlessness of a whole generation, told through the first-person narrative of an out-of-center youth. The style and language is course, and the plotline only secondary to the purpose of coveying the angst of a post-war generation. The Cather in the Rye doesn't SUCK, it's just so different than the trite, easily digestible Outsiders that the question itself seemed obsurd. It's folklore that the story was written in a day, and the story is SUPPOSED to babble, as a first-person narrative. Michaela, set it aside for now, and wait for your curiosity to pique your interest later, if ever.
Scott wrote: "Lara's right---Sadly, It's much easier to tear down a work, than to understand it. The Catcher in the Rye is more a display of the restlessness of a whole generation, told through the first-person..."Nicely put, Scott.
CITR is a two-tier novel, or a one-tier novel with powerful psychological undertones. I recommend reading it twice, waiting at least six months in between. Maybe years.
No, the books are not alike though the same type of reluctant reader may love each or both of these books. Each of these books can make a reader out of a challenged reader.
I can see some similarities. They are both books about teens who don't quite fit in with the rest of the crowd and their contempt for the society that they are growing up in.
Scott: Salinger was not 'a demented speed freak' who wrote this book in 48 hours! Do some research - much of this book was written as short stories on the front line in Europe during WW2. Salinger knitted them together when he returned home. Holden Caulfield's remorse for the loss of innocence and reluctance to become complicit with the 'phony' adult world may well be partly a reflection of this fact.
Not really except the intended audience is about the same- 8th and 9th graders.
Melissa wrote: "Scott: Salinger was not 'a demented speed freak' who wrote this book in 48 hours! Do some research - much of this book was written as short stories on the front line in Europe during WW2. Salinger ..."Melissa, read Scott's post again. He is being facetious.
And no, Janet. I really don't think Catcher is intended for 8th graders.
It was written in 1951 so unless you were around then you wouldn't understand that this book was groundbreaking at the time. With all the drivel written and actually published since 1951 (Cheesy Vampire books alone are in the thousands) most people today just don't get that.
Janet wrote: "Not really except the intended audience is about the same- 8th and 9th graders."This book is not intended for just teenagers. It can be read on a higher level that the vast majority of teens are incapable of comprehending because they are too involved themselves in the developmental transition of juvenile to adult.
An adult reading it will get much more out of it--the symbolism, satire and subtle clues of Holden's character. The Outsiders lacks this sophistication of CiTR and will not appeal to many adults.
Thank you Lara. At least YOU had the wisdom to read all the messages before posting a snarky, pedantic rant!
I remember reading SE Hinton in 1st or 2nd Grade, and thinking he was coolest writer alive. The social upheaval, as well as the violence of the early 70's meant the action and dialog of "The Outsiders" seemed too real. I was a little disappointed in my teens to discover that S.E. stood for Susan Eloise, but by then I was well beyond the now-comfortable simplicity of "The Outsiders", and "That Was Then, This is Now". By 4th Grade, I was reading "Jaws" and "Helter Skelter", and discovering that there were a whole host of answers to questions I hadn't even thought to ask! Where I fit in on the Soc-Greaser scale no longer mattered. Salinger is for big kids, with big questions. I hope that helps!
Lara wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Scott: Salinger was not 'a demented speed freak' who wrote this book in 48 hours! Do some research - much of this book was written as short stories on the front line in Europe durin..."Thanks, Lara. Melissa would be wise to read ALL the posts before releasing her pedantic scree!
Years ago I had the misfortune to watch RUMBLEFISH with Mickey Rourke, one of my favorite oddball actors. I was so put off by the contrived symbolism, the overly dramatic pretentiousness of the movie that I vowed not to read any books by the author if that was the best he could inspire in a cinematic rendition. My take was the story line was pulp fiction masquerading as significant literature.
Paul wrote: "Funny thats how catcher reads to me in hindsight like a babbling speed freak with no destination in mind and no clear train of thought...."Yeah, no kidding. That's exactly what I thought when I read it at age 14 (solely because I heard "they" had banned it, which caused me to feel like even more of an idiot for letting the nitwit adults around me influence what I was reading, by reading it just because they'd banned it).
anyway I couldn't finger out at the time whether Salinger was really so dumb that he thought us kids were really like his protagonist, or was actually trying to portray a teenage wingnut. (In fact, I'm still not sure.)
I *am* sure, though, that Salinger wouldn't have known *real* alienation if it had bitten him on the ass... On that subject, unlike nearly anything else, I *am* an expert.
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