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Summary: Structure and Diction in THE CATCHER IN THE RYE
Review: Salinger's classic use of structure and diction throughout the novel help to achieve his purpose of showing the moral problems and developments of Holden Claufield. From the very first few sentences, it is clear that Holden is telling us this story as he remembers it. He comments that he got into some "madman stuff around Christmas" and "had to come out here for a while to take it easy"(1). Thus the reader can conclude that Holden has taken a journey of some sort from the beginning of his problems to the state in which he currently lives. The structure of the novel also supports this hypothesis. It all starts the day he leaves Pencey Prep. From there on it is a journey through the black forests of moral confusion. Moreover, the reader can learn a lot from the diction that Salinger employs to show the developments in Holden. As the reader picks up the book and gets through the first page, it is glaringly obvious that Holden is not the traditional narrator. He presents himself to be immature, and the use of slang becomes a vital part of the book. This immaturity presented in the diction can best be observed in the analysis of Holden's sexual confusion toward girls. He comments that "if you don't like a girl, you shouldn't horse around with her at all, and if you do like her, then you're supposed to like her face, and if you like her face, you ought to be careful about doing crumby stuff to it..."(62). This mental train of thought, resembling that of a child's, shows that he has a sense of morality that is being challenged, which serves to teach lessons to make him more mature in the future. It is also important to note that what he is battling is the fact that he is not like the average Pencey Prep boy who only lives "to give her the time." He thinks that this is a weakness in him as he realizes through the episodes with the pimp that the whole world is just as corrupt. Overall, through the use of structure and diction, Salinger gets to the center of Holden's confusion about morality, while crafting a great work. Many claim that this great novel is for anyone who is at all confused in life about morality or just having a tough time.
Rating: 
Summary: Best book you ever read? Read some more
Review: Salinger's cult novel, ridiculously easy to read, is generally liked by those who sympathise or identify with Holden's plight. But how seriously should one take his existential angst, and what are the implications of his outlook?
Holden displays a sort of 'hyperconsciousness' where preoccupations of his intellect negate his attempts to enjoy everyday occurrences. It is difficult ro recall in the book anywhere where Holden feels real humour, joy or love without qualification and introspection. The critic Philip Roth considers the book upholds a sort of elitist ethos, based not on actual status or achievement, but on dreams of the individual as somehow special or chosen ,created, maintained and protected by the haughty, solitary personality.
Whether this type really does possess the truth, and if society (however one chooses to define it) is as guilty and phoney as Holden suggest, the reader must decide. How society would need to be reconstructed, and what difference it would imply is never touched upon; but then this style of criticism is, by and large, wholly negative.
The book, widely praised for it's structural originality, should be seen in the light of a literary tradition, that Salinger was quite aware of. I hope I have not sounded too critical of this work. My target is more the misleading, partial critique, widely reproduced in other reviews on this page. Salinger is famously reticent for commentary on both his craft and his intentions. I feel this book is as much a loving lament, than an endorsement, of this sad, solitary character Holden Caulfield.
For the finest literary examination of many of these issues, read Dostoyevsky's 'Notes From Underground', and 'Crime and Punishment', novels which stand head and shoulders above 'Catcher', but are equally as gripping and easy to read.
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Summary: Coming of age and discovering society's true face
Review: Salinger's fluid style takes the reader through a few days of
a young man's coming of age, as he reluctantly sees for the first time the wall behind society's facade. This book is a
pleasure to read and a profound comment on what sort of
mask we put on when we go out into society.
Rating:
Summary: It's the most honest book I have ever read.
Review: Salinger's language, plot (or lack of it), and his confused central character has turned this book into the most honest book I have ever read. Being a teenager, Holden's thoughts seem at times too real and too present for me to accept without getting scared. Salinger has achieved here what Kafka failed to do in Metamorphosis; to make me look myself in a mirror and be scared of what I saw. And by being scared, he has helped me confront my fears and lead life with a braver heart. Rather than running away from home, I have found shelter and peace reading a book about someone like me...
Rating:
Summary: Fresh, hard-hitting and powerful
Review: Salinger's novel, "The Catcher in the Rye" is on the one hand, an exceptionally simple novel, on the other, more complex than many others like it because it deals with the human mind. Its simplicity begins in its storyline - Holden Caulfield, a well-off teenager from new York has been expelled from his fourth boarding school because he has failed in class. Following a fight with a schoolfriend, Holden wanders out into New York and the reader is permitted to see new York through Holden's eyes, as he verges on a nervous breakdown. The story is disjointed, rambling and fascinating. Holden's mind switches form one train of thought to the other regulary. It is also an extremely honest book - Holden is honest about what he does and why he does them. The book should be read by anyone with an interest in the human mind and its workings.
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Summary: The Quintessential Novel Of Growing Up
Review: Salinger's only novel, "Catcher in the Rye", is a rambling monologue by 17-year-old Holden Caufield. He has run away from boarding school before Christmas, and is spending a few days drifting in New York City while he decides whether to go home or not. He feels that his childhood is over and his innocence lost, but he detests the phoney, loveless grown-up world (symbolised by plastic Christmas baubles and seasonal fake goodwill). He thinks that to be adult is a form of surrender, but he can see no way to avoid it. He wanders the city, talking aimlessly to taxi drivers, lodging house keepers, bar tenders, prostitutes and his sister Phoebe, whom he tries to warn against growing up. Finally, inevitably, he capitulates-or perhaps escapes, since we learn that we have just read his "confession" to the psychiatrist in a mental home. Salinger in this novel pursued the question of how to recover moral innocence, in which he done remarkably well. A book to read again and again...
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece of Fiction
Review: Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is one of the greatest novels ever written by an American author. And the sad story of Holden Caulfield is probably the best novel ever written about adolescence. Like all great fiction, this book has many layers and angles, from memorable characters, a gripping (and subtle) plot, poignancy, and humor. The underlying conflict within Holden between childhood innocence and adult phoniness, a conflict we all face in life, is timeless. You could read this book five times and find new insights in it each time. A stunning work. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Colorful Characters, Uneventful Plot......
Review: Sallinger's Holden Caufield was one of the most colorful lead characters/first-person narrarators that I have ever read. His character, in addition to some snappy dialouge led to this book being a quick and easy read. That's where my praise ends and for that the book is worthy of a 3-star rating. My disappointment comes from the novels uneventful plot: spoiled teenager gets kicked out of his 4th swanky private school and spends 3 days on his own in New York City. (...) This book has become required reading for some of our society's most menacing outcasts (for example the assassins who shot Reagan and killed John Lennon). The were both supposedly influenced by this book. It must have had a very subtle message that I missed. Many reviews have discussed this book in tandem with Lord of the Flies. If you only have time to read one or the other, please choose William Golding's classic. Catcher in the Rye was "mildly" entertaining and for that it will be a pleasant surprise if you have to read it for a class. It does move at a very rapid pace and Holden Caufield is enjoyable. Just imagine how good this could have been with an "actual plot". It makes you wonder, doesn't it?
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Summary: Slow Story But an Interesting Insight Into Human Nature
Review: Sallinger?s book, Catcher in the Rye is a well known book made famous by the movie Conspiracy Theory and the assassin of John Lennon. The book is a must read because of its historical significance, but don?t expect an interesting story. The book is almost exclusively about the main character, Holden Caulfield who is dealing with life between childhood and adulthood. I think Holden is a great representation of humanity in general- never being satisfied with anything, and being unable to deal with life. While reading of Holden, I found myself despising him and the immaturity that he displays in life. But really, much of what I despised in Holden are things that I hold in my own life. How about a sequel? Holden meets the 21st century. That would be interesting.
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Summary: Insanity?
Review: Sarcasm. Blunt profanity. Endless streams of ridicule. These are the three main things that spout continuously from Holden Caulfield's mouth throughout the course of J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye". Holden is a boy who always manages to bring out the negativity in even the most positive situations. Despite being an outcast from his friends and family, he dwells on his misfortune rather than changing his perspective on life. "The Catcher in the Rye" is a cut-and-dry journey through the mind and life of a boy who deals with the difficulties of being a teengager, but somehow manages to find happiness in the end. I wouldn't call it a must-read, but I enjoyed it somewhat.
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