The Catcher In The Rye

Author: J.D.Salinger

Date Published: July 16th 20, 1951

Pages: 277

🧵 Synopsis

The Catcher In the Rye is a coming-of-age story that has sold over 65 million copies worldwide. It was included on Times 2005 list of the 100 best English language novels written since 1923 and it was named by Modern Library and its readers as one of the 100 best English language novels of the 20th century.

We follow 16-year-old Holden Caulfield’s 3-day journey through 1940’s post war New York. He has been expelled from yet another prestigious prep school and doesn’t want to return home just yet to face his disappointed parents. He rambles to us his every thought as he wanders as lonely as a ghost around the busy, chaotic, but ultimately lonely city, some thoughts very amusing, some very sad. This is the story of teenage loneliness, unprocessed trauma, societal expectations and the desire of wanting to hold on to childhood and innocence.

🔖 Memorable Quotes

“When you’re dead, they really fix you up. I hope to hell when I do die somebody has sense enough to just dump me in the river or something. Anything except sticking me in a goddam cemetery. People coming and putting a bunch of flowers on your stomach on Sunday, and all that crap. Who wants flowers when you’re dead? Nobody.”

“All morons hate it when you call them a moron.”

I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be. I know it’s crazy.”

“I know he’s dead! Don’t you think I know that? I can still like him, though, can’t I? Just because somebody’s dead, you don’t just stop liking them, for God’s sake — especially if they were about a thousand times nicer than the people you know that’re alive and all.”

🧠 My Thoughts

I knew nothing about this book before I read it, the only thing I knew is that Mark Chapman left it at the scene after he killed John Lennon. Declaring it as his statement and his motive. As a huge Beatles fan I was frightened to read this in case it spelt out for me the reasons why Chapman was encouraged to murder after reading it and becoming obsessed with Holden Caulfield. I genuinely thought this might be the story of a teenager that goes on a killing rampage. When I read the quote, “That’s a deer shooting hat”, “Like hell it is”, “This is a people shooting hat, I said”, “I shoot people in this hat”. I thought the story might take this direction.

I’m so glad to discover this not to be the case. Mark Chapman interpreted this book very wrongly. He couldn’t have been more wrong. This is the story of a teenager on the brink of adulthood but not wanting to be. This is the story of unprocessed trauma. The death of his younger brother who Holden doted on and the suicide of his classmate at a previous school weigh heavily on Holden’s depressed mind. Anything adult based is “phony” which I feel is Holden’s protection barrier as he wishes to stay on the child side of the imaginary line.

I’ve since ready many reviews siting Holden as a whiny, petulant teen, and yes at times he is. There is so much more to him though. Remember we are seeing him through his own depressed, reflective state. Holden has much unprocessed trauma. When he was 13, he tells us that he slept in the garage the night his younger brother died of cancer. He broke all the windows in the garage with his fist “Just for the hell of it”. Except it wasn’t for the “hell of it”. He was calling out for help and didn’t know how to express his pain.

I have also read complaints about misogyny; I don’t see that at all. He cares deeply about his younger sister and her happiness. He also cares about a girl named Jane Gallagher and doesn’t like the lack of respect his roommate at school shows her. He has many interactions with females that are highly respectful. His comments about appearance are innocent and teenage like in my opinion. He scrutinises every male character just as much.

I loved Holden’s question about where the ducks go in the winter when the lake is frozen solid. They always return so they must be ok, but where do they go? Holden’s life at this point is full of unwanted change, this seems to be an analogy of sorts. Will he be ok as he crosses into adulthood? Will he survive the harsh elements and make it unscathed?

This book left me feeling thoughtful and quite sad to be honest. I hope that Holden got the help and support he needed and lived a fulfilling life.

⭐⭐⭐⭐¾