The Catcher in the Rye Book

J. D. Salinger's most famous and revered novel resides on that fabled shelf of classic "read before you die" literature. Now I have finally got around to reading the book I can begin to understand why. I say finally because The Catcher in the Rye has been on my mental to do list for some time now. However, I was always reluctant to begin reading it. I believe at some point I subconsciously conceived the outrageous idea that this was some kind of novel centred on farming, largely due to the title's inclusion of the word rye - this of course being an agricultural cereal grain. I am ashamed to admit that this thought, born of ignorance at a young age hijacked my opinions into early adulthood and prevented me from reading the book! Why I am so averse to reading a novel centred on farming I find hard to explain. Although in secondary school I was rather upset and perturbed by Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, which focuses on the misfortunes of two migrant field workers and perhaps this experience scarred me!? Alas, I digress... The Catcher in the Rye has nothing remotely to do with farming and depending on your interpretation can best be described as a teenage, coming of age novel, widely accepted to be set circa 1950.

The Catcher in the Rye is a subjective narrative in the first person. This technical jargon means that Salinger's protagonist, Holden Caulfield shares his thoughts and emotions with the reader almost as if he is speaking out loud. An incredibly acerbic and cynical teenage boy from a wealthy middle class New York family, Holden would seem to hate almost everyone and everything. The only people he really seems fond of are the memory of his deceased younger brother Allie, his sister Phoebe and a girl named Jane whom he has romantic feelings towards. In many respects Holden is a typical teenager - he is angry and disillusioned, cheeky and sarcastic, and of course he knows it all. After being expelled from his current prep school a few days before the Christmas break, Holden decides to leave early, head into New York City and check into a hotel. The escapades that follow are largely a comedy of errors, which for example include our young narrator having a rather disastrous encounter with a prostitute and her pimp. On the surface the narrative is mostly a comical and entertaining description of Holden's experience in New York, incorporating a plethora of cynical tirades on society in general. However, beneath the surface one finds an exploration of the major conflict in Holden's own psyche, which sees him simultaneously struggle to reject childhood whilst embracing adulthood, or in other words, trying to grow up. This certainly makes for interesting reading as Holden attempts to lead what he perceives is an adult existence by visiting bars, drinking and flirting with women. However Holden's adult experiences are counterproductive to his attempts to come of age and by the end of the book he has retreated back into childhood.

If I was forced to pigeon hole this book I would describe it primarily as a comedy. I found it to be laugh out loud funny from start to finish. Even the sad or sentimental parts of the book are made hilarious by Holden's often blasphemous use of colloquial 1950s New York language. I really enjoyed reading The Catcher in the Rye and I seriously regret not doing so sooner. I experienced many of the feelings and cynicisms that Holden himself describes throughout the book and I feel that Salinger's masterpiece may have proved a reassurance to me during these complicated and confusing years. With this book teenagers can find reassurance through affinity and adults can be reminded, whilst both can enjoy the laughs. If you have never read this book I implore you to give it a try, because as Holden might say, "it'll really knock you out".

The Catcher in the Rye is J . D. Salinger's world-famous novel of disaffected youth. Holden Caulfield is a seventeen- year-old dropout who has just been kicked out of his fourth school. Navigating his way through the challenges of growing up Holden dissects the 'phony' aspects of society and the 'phonies' themselves: the headmaster whose affability depends on the wealth of the parents his roommate who scores with girls using sickly-sweet affection. Written with the clarity of a boy leaving childhood behind "The Catcher in the Rye" explores the world with disarming frankness and a warm affecting charisma which has made this novel a universally loved classic of twentieth-century literature. J. D. Salinger was born in 1919 and died in January 2010. He grew up in New York City and wrote short stories from an early age but his breakthrough came in 1948 with the publication in The New Yorker of "A Perfect Day for Bananafish". "The Catcher in the Rye" was his first and only novel published in 1951. It remains one of the most translated taught and reprinted texts and has sold some 65 million copies.His other works include the novellas "Franny and Zooey" "For Esme with Love and Squalor" and "Raise High the Roof Beam" "Carpenters" published with "Seymour - An Introduction".

The first and only novel from J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye is the ultimate observation of mid 20th century American teenage life, through the eyes of 17 year-old narrator Holden Caulfield. Often identified as a classic, the novel is banned in several countries due to its edgy slang and wry observations.