The Catcher in the Rye Book Review

Alex Foltz

                The Catcher in the Rye is a controversial American Classic by J.D. Salinger. Taking place in the New York City of the late 1940’s, it follows the story of Holden Caulfield; a teenage boy who feels alone and out of place in his world. Let me make it clear first of all that this book was not at all what I’d expected, and it isn't for everybody. There were things I liked, but there was no shortage of things I didn't enjoy in this novel.

            Let me start with the main character. These are where many of my issues with the book lie. Holden is a 17 year old boy who, typically, doesn't do very well in school. Not that he isn’t smart; he just hates it. In fact, Holden seems to hate almost everything and everybody. Overall, he’s a very pessimistic person, which allows for an interesting perspective for a novel. The problem with this is that it’s hard to like a pessimist protagonist. There are times when Holden seems to actually care about things, but they’re very rare. This is both good and bad for the book. When you finally do get to see Holden care about something, it feels rewarding, but it’s almost always followed by something negative, and it reminds you of what you don’t like about him.

            Holden also seems quite immature. Maybe this is due to a lack of social skills because he moves from one school to another so frequently. In the book he often “horses around” which is another way of saying he acts like a child. This offers a bit of comic relief at times, but more often than not it’s awkward and uncomfortable to read.

            My biggest issue lies in the plot. The problem is that there isn’t much of one. Most of the book is just Holden bar hopping around the city and complaining that everybody is a phony. It feels like it was dragged out for far too long, and because if that the book suffers. There isn’t a solid storyline here, and all of the events are brief, and in-cohesive. This is true to real life, yes, but it doesn’t translate well into a novel. What you end up with is a long, random string of events that don’t really lead anywhere.

            Now let me tell you what I did like about the book. Salinger does a fantastic job showing the inner workings of a boy who wants desperately to connect with people, but just can’t seem to do it. Although he isn't always a very likable person, he’s believable. And while you’re reading, you find yourself feeling his pain in some situations.

            A large percentage of what you read is completely in Holden’s head, and I like that. Negative sides of a character are good to have when they’re well written, and Salinger does a great job. But Holden is almost all negative, and that’s what makes him hard to sympathize with in places. But the believability is what I liked, and given a better plot line, this book could have been wonderful.

            I also liked some of the supporting characters. Specifically Holden’s little sister Phoebe. She’s clever and loving and very much the opposite of Holden. She helps freshen up the story, and she’s a welcome change to the mood of the novel. Phoebe and her effect on Holden is what saved this book for me. She helps show that Holden isn't all as angry or as sad as he first appears. Her influence on the story is what helped me put down this book somewhat satisfied.

            Overall, I feel like the book could have been shorter. Salinger does an impressive job at giving us a glimpse into the mind of a troubled boy, but falls short from a large, drawn out section of random events that feel neither interesting, nor rewarding to read. I feel like it would have been better if a large portion of events had been removed entirely. There were enough good things in this book to keep it from being horrible, but there was too much that I didn't like to make it seem as though it was worth reading. In the end I don’t feel like I've gained anything by reading The Catcher in the Rye. Being such a well-known and well received book, I expected more from it.

6/10

~~~

Montanna Wilber

I don't remember what I was expecting when I picked up this book at Barnes and Noble. I thought to myself, "John Green loves this book," and, "this is supposed to be an American classic." I read the first page in the store and was surprised right away how this author from the 1950s wrote much like authors today. After having bought the book and reading more into it, I became annoyed by Holden's broken record of word usage. Everyone's a phony. This book was good and all, but it could get on your nerves sometimes and all, especially if your a phony and all and don't see yourself in the mirror that is Holden Caulfield.

Holden buys a red hunting cap that reminds him of the color of his dead brother's hair. He rejects society's "phonies" and school systems. The irony lies in him being a phony himself and also being very smart. 

He disgusted me at times, and that embarrassed me as I read because I kept seeing more and more of myself, realistically, in this majorly flawed protagonist.

There is one part in particular near the end where Holden receives a brilliant bit of advice from someone he admires, and then this mentor goes and ruins it. It reminds me of how a child can look up to his/her parents for so long and then one day realize that they are human too. And does this realization affect the credibility of truth when it comes from someone seen as imperfect?

I think Alex made a lot of good points that I'm not going to iterate. Here, though, are my two cents. I was probably just as annoyed and bored by this novel as Alex, and I agree that it does not have a well-woven plot. But as an artist myself, I can forgive the book for its lack of plot, because Mr. Salinger was able to paint, in my opinion, a perfect masterpiece of that which is the imperfect, confused, and immature teenage mind.

I have to give this two ratings... As far as enjoyment goes: 5/10

As far as art goes: 10/10.