The Catcher in the Rye question

I hated it at 15, and loathe it now at 29. The protagonist is a naive, self-important fool. The writing style is as deep as a puddle, and has about as much to offer. There doesn't appear to be anything of substance behind the narrative other than a rant about how society sucks and no one is original. Least of all, the protagonist himself.

This book resonates strongly with those who can identify with that mind set. I suppose I simply loathe that mind set and feel the more people that are drawn to its cause, the worse off we all are.

I read this at the age of 14 and loved it.

I read this a year ago at the age of 41 and thought it was total rubbish! All I had in my head was "Thank God I'm not a teenager any more!"

I was 18 when I read it and I didn't like it while I was reading it. After a few months it became one of my favorite books ever.

Sabine wrote: "I, as many, read the book as a teenager and it didn't resonate much with me. Now, as an adult, many years later, I find it hilarious! I keep laughing out loud and find Holden's thoughts insightful ..."

http://jdsalinger-me.blogspot.com/201...

I didn't find the book at all funny, but I see how it could strike some readers that way. The above essay/blog partially addresses your issue of how relevant the book is today.

Judging from the book's popularity in the Young Adult genre, and what I have read posted here on Goodreads by young readers, the book is quite relevant, but more so for the sophisticated (college-bound) reader.

Holden dramatizes the struggle of how to transition successfully from juvenile to adult. He was frustrated by the phoniness he saw everywhere and felt confused and overwhelmed. Concurrently, he had trouble functioning because he was depressed from the shock of losing his brother Allie to cancer compounded by the suicide of his dorm-mate, James Castle.

Upping the ante, he had to go home and face the music with his parents for flunking out. The stress and anxiety was eating him up, causing him to think about death. The stress was making him ill and he wanted to run away and live in a cabin in the woods.

Beset with these burdens, Holden wandered from place to place interacting with people to assuage his loneliness and look for answers, meeting with strangers and former teachers who were no help.

Phoebe's love saves Holden from running away (figuratively "going over the cliff".) He is protected from harm by the love of an innocent child, who happens to be his sister. Ironically, the one who wants to be a catcher/protector of children is himself saved caught/protected by a child.

The book memorializes the struggle of teenagers grappling with the relentless approach of adulthood and it does this in such an effective way that no other book has equaled or surpassed, as evidenced by the book's durability and sales volume.

This teenager happens to be a spoiled, intelligent kid in an urban setting. Many people can relate to him, though some less than most.

Walk around any city near a school and you will see Holden, dressed in punk or Goth regalia, piercings, tattoos. They don't know what to do with themselves, so they experiment. Many of them are jaded and cynical. Many will never make a smooth or complete transition to adulthood. Perhaps this accounts for the abundance of therapists and highly successful self-help gurus and related literature and organizations like Landmark Education and the Hoffman Program.

Salinger showcased a teenager who came through a developmental crisis unscathed. and feeling loved is what pulled him back from the brink of potential disaster.

As one reviewer on Amazon says, it's a "brilliantly unique look at a universal problem."

In the animal world the transition from juvenile to adult is vital to survival. Humankind is no different, except their transition is more complicated.

The rural adolescent transition is dealt with in East of Eden, a book four times the length of CITR. Rebel Without a Cause and Ordinary People deal with the subject in a suburban setting.

Adolescence is a period during which parents pull away because of a teenager's sexual development (hair, height, muscles, breasts, hormones) makes them uneasy. Parents know the time is coming when their kid(s) will be out on their own, so they encourage independence. (At least healthy parents do this.)

But many parents withdraw early because they themselves never made a clean or complete transition. They copped out and got married or pregnant and became kids raising kids.

(Or worse, they engage too much to re-live their own teenage years through their children, denying their children a chance for a timely and clean transition.)

Teenagers feel the loss because they are still insecure half-child, craving their parents' reassurance and loving touch.

Tragically, some of them were unwanted and never felt a parent's love or tenderness and are destined to go through life with a sucking emotional chest wound, some taking their lives to stop the pain.

But instinctively, healthy teenagers know they need to pull away, and it is a time of stress and confusion. They experiment. They begin looking outside the family for answers to problems. They look for new and better models than their parents, for they have had a lifetime to discern their flaws.

Holden's three-day journey home from getting flunked out is a dramatization of this confusion. His parents have spoiled him, not prepared him for what is coming. Possibly they have been distracted from this vital duty by Allie's death.

Holden has never had a job. He hasn't learned to drive, which is the normal coming-of-age ritual most non-urban kids experience. He experiments with adult behaviors--drinking, lying to a strange woman on the train, dancing with strange women at a nightclub, giving nuns too much money, hiring a prostitute.

Not once during his 3-day journey does Holden even consider looking to mom or dad for help. He wants to be a man, but doesn't know how. He is trying hard and failing, confused and turned off by the phoniness he sees through eyes clouded by the loss of Allie and James Castle.

Because of the universality of its theme this book will always be relevant, although having a good teacher to set it up may be necessary for some kids.

The book is popular not because it is a craze but because it addresses universal struggle in a uniquely effective and positive way, by celebrating and honoring the loss of innocence.

I did not like the book as a teenager but I liked it at 52. At 17, I did not relate to the "counter-culture" side of the book that I liked as an adult. As an adult I felt I understood a bit better his criticisms of the adult world around him -when I was young I saw him as a trouble maker.

I did not like the book as a teenager but I liked it at 52. At 17, I did not relate to the "counter-culture" side of the book that I liked as an adult. As an adult I felt I understood a bit better his criticisms of the adult world around him -when I was young I saw him as a trouble maker.

Every thread needs an “anti-post”, so be it. I think a lot of the younger readers think its a good book because they've had it drummed into their heads that its supposed to be a good book. I read this first when I was 17 and didn't think much of it. I recently saw it in a library sale so I said “what the heck, lets see what all the fuss is about” so at 52 I read it again. I think this book is one of the most overrated pieces of American literature going. I can see the allure for young readers though, but I hardly think it warrants all the praise it gets. The book had so much potential but, in the end, the angst was to me, far too placid and pointless. Holden is just a middle-class whiner with simple banal action that leaves little to ponder and less to entertain. Sorry, just my opinion.

Sabine wrote: "I, as many, read the book as a teenager and it didn't resonate much with me. Now, as an adult, many years later, I find it hilarious! I keep laughing out loud and find Holden's thoughts insightful ..."

I'm sixteen and I finished reading the book about a month ago, but the whole time I loved it. I didn't just love it, I adored it and it really made me think about life. Most of all, it made me wish life for us teens is how it was back then. No crappy mind controlling technology, and the way he speaks is pretty awesome as they considered 'goddamn' to be swearing. I admittedly swear too much but it wouldn't be so bad if all I had to say was goddamn.

Anyway, I disagree with you. I appreciate and understand this book and I'm a teenager. I think maturity plays a part. But more importantly I don't think you should go around saying we can't enjoy a book that adults do.

I read this when I was fifteen and sympathized with Holden right away. I think understanding the time period is more important for enjoying the book than the reader's age is.

as a teen i loved it, as a 39 year old i find it nigh on unreadable

Hey! I'm a teenager and I love it!

I think it's more likely to be understood by teenagers because I think adults are more likely to see the flaws in the character.

I am a kid (oooooooooooooookk teenager) AND I LOVED THIS BOOK XD

I love The Catcher in the Rye and I am a teenager. I have several adults in my life who have tried and failed to see why I find the book to be so fascinating.

As a teenager i have read the catcher in the rye. I understand what your saying but, i have to disagree, i read this book and instantley understood holden. I found the book more meaningful than funny but, i guess it's just perspective. I felt that he was trying to show that life does go on that we have our hard times get stuck in bad situations but, they really don't matter because we'll always get through them.

When I first read this book at sixteen it hit me like...well [forgive me Miley]...it hit me like a wrecking ball. I read it several more times over the years. Each time it lost some of its magic. I may never read it again...but never say never, eh b'ys?