The Catcher in the Rye
discussion
Did anyone else just not "get" this book?
Most of the people who are "not getting" this book are girls and thats not really surprising since it is written from a guy's point of view. The main issue in the book is Holden not fitting in society, but more importantly him not wanting to. The reason girls might not relate to this book strongly is that females are generally regared as "social creatures" and socially mature earlier than males, so some of the main points in the book would be lost.
I read this book in my 20's and thought Holden was just a crazy, mixed up kid....I read this book again in my 30's and thought Holden was still messed up, but had some valid points regarding society and it's phoneyness.
I read this book yet again in my 40's and completely agree with him....on one hand he wants to "fit in" and on the other hand finds it all so obnoxiously fake.
Perhaps I did lose out reading this sober...
I don't think Holden was depressed so much as despondant and feeling out of place. If one could not relate to the main character perhaps one should feel grateful for the experience of having an easier life than others. Some are happy with a more superficial existence never questioning why or looking beneath the surface of life, the unexamined life.Others look deeper and may become a little more detached as they struggle with their life path, self-meaning, and soul-searching. It may take time to stumble around before finding purpose enough to keep pushing the rock up the moutain over and over again.
That's truly the resolution of this book is when he discovers the purpose in his life. Though these life struggles can cause depression in already emotionally unstable people, I don't think depression was the main focus. Depression is a prolonged and consistent mental state, while Holden might have fleeting emotions of this sort, his struggles were in other areas.
Back in my schooldays this was a have to read. Supposed to be very deep! I did not grasp any of it and it always bothered me so that many years later I bought the book again in my late 40s and read it and absolutely enjoyed it. Coming of age. Discovery. Finding one's way. All lessons learned by living and frankly sadly wasted on the young until they have had more experience to really relate in my opinion!Felt that same about another classic, Seventeen!
i didnt get it either until my english professor discussed it to us. i really didnt like the book
Jodie wrote: "I am curious to see if many Australians "got this book" my guess is not a lot of them did, perhaps it is an American classic because it speaks to American teenagers but it seems so far removed from..."I really got this book, and I'm not even from Australia. Not even from Europe, but from a small Asian country. I guess what really makes a person "get this book" is just how much shit he/she is.
The first time I read this book I was eight or nine, and I found Holden to be whiney and pretentious. But the next time I read it I was sixteen and half as crazy and confused as he was. The author did a perfect job at depicting that in between..
I read it in the era when it was published, and felt that I didn't need Holden to tell me what I (and lots of other teens then) already knew. Rock and roll was starting to create the "Generation Gap", and increasingly, people were either on one side or the other. Young people were rapidly shifting away from the social values of their elders, and it seemed self-evident that "phony" wasn't going to cut it in the then-emerging boomer society.
Stockwell wrote: "I read it to see what all the fuss was about and I still have no idea. All I got out of it was a teenager whining about his life and college and girls and how everything sucks. I don't understand w..."I completely agree with you! My sentiments entirely. I would vote it one of the mnost totally overrated books of all time.
Melissa wrote: "LOL! I felt exactly the same way....much to the dismay of a good friend who LOVES this book. I never read it in high school, but finally picked it up in my early 30s. I read it...and went "Huh? ..."I think some books are well marketed and ride the crest of a wave and are grossly overrated. I think this book fits that description. Probably Salinger had a brilliant agent with all the right contacts.
Could it be that one has to take into account when the story takes place ...late 1940s. Published in 1951! Things were totally different then especially the social and sexual landscape and how people coped with them. So very different, rather like a period drama at this point in time. Things were more subtle then but every bit as deep and hurtful or joyful.
You can sit and laugh at him when he whines and that's where the fun of the book is. He doesn't belabour life with his troubles, but mocks the boredom in life by his laissez faire nature.
I loved Catcher in the Rye when I first read it (many times) at 16/17, and have very strong memories of how it affected me. But - that was 30 years ago and I have never re-read it. I'm pretty sure that as an adult with an 18 year old son, I would view it VERY differently. I think also it depends on your own frame of mind when reading a book like this. It's a bit like when I'm listening to Radiohead - sometimes I think that Thom Yorke is a fantastic singer, sometimes he sounds whinging and whiny. I suspect that no-one can have a neutral reaction to Holden as narrator in Catcher in the Rye - he's either articulate and troubled or a non-stop moaner. Having said all of that I still have very fond memories of it, which is why I won't read it again, in case I'm disappointed.
I'm afraid I didn't get it either, as a matter of fact I had to close it up and put it away. I've always heard Cathcher in The Rye is a must read. Huh?In fairness I have read worse.
Sebastian
I grew up in NYC and read this book when I was 13 and loved it. I guess I was whiny and pretentious just like Holden. I have tried to read this book again twice within the past 10 years and can’t get past the first chapter. I’m more than a little annoyed with my 13 year old self for loving this book. On the upside, Holden’s brother’s love of the Great Gatsby led me to read that book (which I hated when I was 13 but love now).
Robin wrote: "South Park? That show is rubbish. There is nothing gruesome maybe controversial, since the voice of Holden Caulfield spoke much like another movie of about that same time, Rebel without a Cause. ..."I very strongly disagree with this. I'll admit that south park can be outrageous and borders on offensive, but I've learned a LOT of things from that show. they have some wonderful satire that makes you think about things differently. I think that maybe if you could overlook the foul language you might would agree w/ some of their positions.
No i don't get it. I got high behind the bikesheds in my time, but so what? WHY the fuss? I don't love or hate it. There were some turns of phrase I found funny. But how it could change someone's life is beyond me. It's just a mediocre book about a kid. *shrugs*
I think it's a classic ... and deserves to be. One of the strongest points-of-view pieces of fiction ever put together. A fully realized character. Likeable character? Probably not.
I totally agree. I found Holden totally annoying and could not understand what about the book attracts so many people. I found no great life lessons or social commentary. Again, maybe I was just too old to read this, as I was in my 50's.
I read it at 15 and could not relate to Holden at all. Perhaps it had been too hyped up for me to enjoy without feeling a little disappointed.
I read this book shortly after I got out of high school and I recall thinking this was a wonderful book. In retrospect, I don't think I'd like it as much, if I had read it as an older individual. It speaks to the alienated teenager that resides inside a lot of us.
We were assigned this book in English my junior year of high school. The first night I can't remember how many chapters we were supposed to read but I couldn't put it down, I read the entire thing that night. I loved it so much, so when I got to class the next day I was shocked to hear that some of my classmates hated it! It's clearly very polarizing. I have a copy of it lying around somewhere but I'm sort of afraid to read it again as an adult because I don't know that it will speak to me in the same way. I am tempted to preserve it in my memory from my old teenaged point of view.
Jodie wrote: "I am curious to see if many Australians "got this book" my guess is not a lot of them did, perhaps it is an American classic because it speaks to American teenagers but it seems so far removed from..."I "got" this book and I live in Australia. When I read this book I was 15 years old. I understood all of it, and I really liked it. I don't believe that a book could not be "got" just because of where the reader lives or has lived. Of course it would make it easier to understand in certain aspects of it if you did though. For example, if there was a game of American football being described or something to do with Thanksgiving in a book being read by an Australian, Indian, New Zealander, Italian, etc, it would be harder to understand. Or of course if someone is reading a book in a different language to what they speak, but of course that's their own fault. All of my favourite books are based in America.
Rebecca_harley wrote: "I read it at 15 and could not relate to Holden at all. Perhaps it had been too hyped up for me to enjoy without feeling a little disappointed."I can't really remember how i felt about relating to Holden, but I do remember thinking that this book is not as good as people say it is. It was probably over hyped and as a result it is possible i missed out because i was expecting this literary masterpiece. perhaps i'll read it again soon just to see how i feel about it now that i'm older.
Simon wrote: "Thom wrote: "It was written in and for another generation. The present generation may have difficulty following thought patterns of their parents and grandparents."I completely disagree. I don't ..."
I agree, I think it just depends on the person just like any book.
This is one and only book that was ever "challenged" in my library. I had never read it, so I had to in order to justify why it was in the library. I found it rather slow and hard to get into but since it is on our AP List I fought to keep it. The main complaint from the parent was the language; mainly the "GD" word.
Holden is in a psych ward when we first meet him. He had a nervous breakdown right at the end of the book, which sets up the beginning. The beginning is him in the present, in the psych ward and the rest is a flash back. To say Holden was whiny and needs to smacked is unfair because he was generally suffering. I do not know why no one here got that out of this book. As a teen who spent many years in places like that, it makes me sad to see people characterize someone suffering so much as "whiny" especially if they can't *help* it. Smh.
Tiffany wrote: "Holden is in a psych ward when we first meet him. He had a nervous breakdown right at the end of the book, which sets up the beginning. The beginning is him in the present, in the psych ward and th..."Totally agree.....
i am 15 and i read this book last year and loved it! (one of my all time favorite books)i found it all most. . . painful to read. holden's struggle to find himself spoke to me as a teen trying to find and distinguish myself. what alot of people don't realise is that the story is told in reverse. as holden looks back on his weekend in the big apple from a place he went to to "chill out for a wile" J.D Salinger uses all the things in the story as a pawn in this heart wrenching story. from holden's hat, carousel and even his sister phoebe. you need to not just read this book to get it, you need too really look into it for the underlying story and the real feelings of holden.
Yeah I didn't really get it either. I just finished reading The Stranger by Albert Camus and at least to me they are slightly similar. I read it last year, and it didn't impact me at whatsoever.
Stockwell wrote: "I read it to see what all the fuss was about and I still have no idea. All I got out of it was a teenager whining about his life and college and girls and how everything sucks. I don't understand w..."
sorry, I'm with you, it was required in High school, I hated it, thought it was pointless. still do.
This book sucked, I still don't understand why they make kids read this in high school. Complete waste of time. No lesson learned except boredom!
The fact that you are all voicing your opinion, positive or negative, is why books like this are still taught. Would you rather read books where all opinions were equal? What fun would that be?Catcher is world-changing because it is one of those books that frequently brings censorship to the public eye and gives rise to debates on whether we should be told what to read or not to read.
And, as was said before, this book resonates with a specific audience. If you're not part of that audience, then you won't "get it." If you are, then you will. Check out this awesome article from some who "get it".
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/l...
I liked it at first, but it got so annoying. I don't care. I've read books where people complain where something happens, and those are good. This one just isn't, IMO.
Travissimo wrote: "I recently wrote my own review on this book, and in reading some of these responses I realized that they are soaked in irony, just as my review was in another way. Many people complain about this b..."Refreshing to read your opinion...thanks. I also believe many expect to bond or sympathize ...even like the main character in a book be they good or bad and it is not always so! This character/book makes a reader think about and discuss...even years later.
Just read this book for the first timea at age 46. I cannot understand why this book is a classic. Holden hates everything and everyone. Period. There is no plot, no action - just HOlden saying how much he hates everything. I did not get this book.
This book is a classic! It is required reading for my children in high school. My eldest daughter, who hates to read, loved this book. Remeber, JD Salinger only wrote one book. He became a recluse after it was published. Does that help at all?
If I remember correctly, he attempts suicide at the end. The whole thing was a build up to that. He seemed whiny and it was kinda like "What's going on?", but then you realize at the end that he was suffering from severe depression and tried to kill himself. That's what I got out of it anyway! I think that, combined with the bad language, made it so controversial back then. Nowadays, neither one of those things seems too shocking (unfortunately).
L.N. wrote: "If I remember correctly, he attempts suicide at the end. The whole thing was a build up to that. He seemed whiny and it was kinda like "What's going on?", but then you realize at the end that he wa..."Tried to kill himself? I did not get that from the book. He wanted to run away from home at the end, not to kill himself. I'm sorry, maybe I missed something but I don't recall such thing as Holden trying to kill himself.
I don't know how it happened, but until this summer, I had never read this book. When I read it, I had a "so what" response. But when it became the only reading material living in my bag at a long emergency room visit, I reread it, keeping in mind the generation in which it was authored. Now I get its importance, regardless of my personal taste. As an aside, I, for the life of me, cannot understand "Gulliver's Travels." It tortured me in high school and still does!
I read it when I was 12 and I totally got it. I loved the whole thing despite the fact that every other word was a curse :).I thought it was wonderful and it deserves all the credit it gets.
I don't think Holden tried to kill himself...I think he had a nervous breakdown, but not that he tried to kill himself.
Regina wrote: "This book is a classic! It is required reading for my children in high school. My eldest daughter, who hates to read, loved this book. Remeber, JD Salinger only wrote one book. He became a rec..."He's written more than one book...J.D. Salinger
I read it, got it, but just didn't like it. Honestly I just didn't really like any book I read for school, except 1984...but the others (this one and TKAM) were just not that big of an excitement factor for me. Catcher in the Rye was actually better than TKAM...I didn't really have to force myself to pick up the book.
I kind of got it, but I was either 12 or 13 when I read it.
It's one of my favorite books. I think it really depends on whether you can empathize with Holden or not. Maybe it's easier for teenagers (I'm 15), but then again most of my friends hate the book. Everyone I know says that I'm absolutely nothing like him- but at the same time I understand him. People often think that he is stuck up but I find him to be quite the opposite. He has extremely low self esteem and is very depressed. Keep this in mind and re-read the book and you'll easily see his mental deterioration and his descent to depression and madness. It's really fascinating.
Another thing to keep in mind is that Holden is, as my English teacher puts it, an "unreliable narrator." He acts nonchalant about everything, and sometimes he may talk as though he thinks he is superior, but if you look closer it's really clear to see he's using defense mechanisms. He doesn't want to confront his own pain and loneliness- so he pretends like it doesn't bother him. In one scene he talks about pretending there's a bullet in his gut and he can't let anyone see his pain. That's really similar to the whole novel- Holden feels such sadness but he can't let the readers easily see, and he also tries to hide it from himself. Closer to the end he does cry for help though.
That book had me sobbing. Sorry for the long, unorganized paragraph. I guess I feel more strongly about it than I thought. :)
Colby wrote: "Regina wrote: "This book is a classic! It is required reading for my children in high school. My eldest daughter, who hates to read, loved this book. Remeber, JD Salinger only wrote one book. ...I am mistaken, about him writing only one book. I read Franny & Zooey (something like that) and I enjoyed that book too. Maybe I just like books written by people who are not "normal" in the eyes of society!
i feel like this book was just a full of nothing. i know people who love it but i didnt get the concept of this book. it was just him trying to get home and it wasnt that great of an adventure...
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Beautfully said!