Catcher in the Rye

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Summary: I enjoyed the book very much and highly recommend it.
Review: The novel was fantastic. It related to teenagers in every aspect. It was full of adventure and I couldn't put it down. Any teenager who is tired of reading boring novels should read this.

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Summary: To all the phonies who hated this book ...
Review: The only dispassionate thing one can say about J.D. Salinger's THE CATCHER IN THE RYE is that it is a book that cannot be read dispassionately; both its numerous supporters and detractors are equally ardent in their respective admiration and disdain.

The novel is already noteworthy on the strength of its style, which represents the culmination in the development of a distinctive American idiom--a process begun by Hemingway and continued by the likes of Hammett and Chandler. In the deceptively simple voice of Holden Caulfield, Salinger strikes a tricky balance between slanginess and profundity that many writers have since striven for, but rarely duplicated. Holden may or may not be "phony" himself, but his voice is most decidedly not, as it is free of pretention or self-consciousness.

To call the novel a self-indulgent outpouring of "teenage angst" does it a grave disservice. Holden's problem is as old as Hamlet's, probably as old as mankind ! itself--a struggle to find purity of purpose amidst intense feelings of fright and confusion toward the perversity of human behavior. While Holden's various adventures alternately amuse and move the reader, the novel's real heart lies in his relationship with his sister Phoebe, who manages to be cute, earnest, and intelligent all at once; their climactic encounter has the force of genuine tragedy.

In the final analysis, THE CATCHER IN THE RYE proves to be nothing less than one of the major literary achievements of the 20th century.

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Summary: not a "stuffy" classic...
Review: The phrase "classic novel" sounds a bit scarry to a kid who's had classic literature spooned into him like Caster Oil. But J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" is certainly not the usual "stuffy" classic that has a big happy moral at the end. The books main character, Holden, is not a hero and he is not a super model, in fact if he wern't the main character he would probably be most usful as the antagonist. He's just a confussed kid who's constantly misunderstood by the people he is surrounded by

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Summary: Points of view in these books delineate their events & chars
Review: The points of view delineated in Catcher In The Rye, A Separate Peace, and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest utilized unique methods of expressing the events and characters in the novels. Holden reflected upon his escapades through his clouded, obstructed outlook on the events which took place during adolescence. Gene Forrester reminisced, also in the first person, about the trials and tribulations of his high school relationships. An outsider, looking in upon the daily shenanigans of Randall McMurphy in a psychiatric ward of an urban hospital, told the third literary work from omniscient third person point of view. Thus, the way an author expressed point of view was crucial to the understanding of the characteristics of the protagonist, the way he related to others, and the main character's developmental maturity at the end of the work. The similitude of the protagonists' traits in these three literary works was strikingly synonymous although they were told from dissimilar viewpoints. Salinger allowed Holden's sub-conscious and conscious thoughts to permeate his pages while keeping the interference between thought and reality a distinct dichotomy. Holden's reactions to adversity also illustrated his strengths and weaknesses in dealing with his peers. Holden was an introvert, except in confrontations, where he would turn into a verbose, overzealous authority on the topic at hand. Holden responded with rage when his roommate denounced the quality of an essay he had written. "What the hell's the difference if it's about a baseball glove?" (Catcher p. 41) He then proceeded to tear up hours of hard work due to frustration. Randall McMurphy's eccentric attitudes and constant rebellions were demonstrated by Kesey's narrator in a purely physical form. We were unaware of the psychological processes occurring in his mind. McMurphy was thought to be lacking full faculty and reasoning, but perhaps had the story been told in first person, we could have gained a better understanding of his modus operandi and motivations for his idiosyncratic actions. Gene's value system established by Knowles was disclosed by Gene himself. We would not have been able to understand Gene's deranged, ulterior motives, had it not been for Gene telling the story. His irrational actions and lack of remorse obviated any other narrative interpretations. All three protagonists had outspoken personalities and were determined to use their forceful volition to have their way at all costs. The level on which each protagonist related to his peers was evidenced by conversation, physical interaction, and thoughts of the characters. Holden's superior attitude isolated himself from his peers. He felt all people with common activities such as sports or seeing movies were phony. Holden's words epitomized his negative thoughts of humanity while trotting down Pencey's dormitory hallway during his final departure. "Sleep tight, ya morons!" (Catcher p. 52) It was McMurphy's solitary goal to have Chief assimilate into the social circles of the psychiatry ward. "C'mon Chief, take the ball, take the ball, c'mon!" (Cuckoo's Nest p. unknown) Randall could be heard encouraging his companions during exercise time. He tried to better the lives of his fellow patients by exposing them to the ways of the world during card games and basketball matches he organized. McMurphy was all for conformation, but unfortunately, this belief clashed with the rules of the hospital. He rallied his peers voices together in a biased attempt to further his own desires. A fishing expedition involving the entire company of deranged men was organized and executed under the authority McMurphy bestowed upon himself. Unlike Holden, McMurphy was a social extrovert, always including others in his adventures. No thoughts of McMurphy were expressed due to the third person viewpoint of the novel. Phineas and Gene were best friends. Gene was always cordial to his teachers and other students. The deep boyhood bond between these two compatriots was demonstrated by their frequent outings to the river, beach, and late-night activities. Gene's jealousy of Finny's athletic abilities overtook his psyche and he was compelled to put a damper on them by causing Finny to break his leg. After this event, Gene became more and more isolated and began his incorrigible lying spree. During an interrogation by his peers in the smoke room, Finny was heard fibbing, "Yes, huh, yes there was a small, a little contretemps at the tree." (Separate Peace p. 82) Gene's thoughts were of truth and justice, but his actions rarely vindicated them. In order to understand a character's relationships with others, we must first be able to rationalize their thoughts and belief system and put them into the environment in which the character reacts with others. The maturity and worldly knowledge each character gained as a result of their experiences are portrayed in a variety of ways. Caulfield's acceptance of rules and consequences demonstrated his growth in maturity. The realization he came to at the end of his escapades was that one's family is always there for one, no matter what trouble one is in. During strolls in Central Park, and long, lonesome nights, the truth of Holden's heartache and cover-up came to the surface. Had this novel been written in third person, our insight into Holden's aspirations would have been solely based upon his limited conversations with his sister. The acceptance and mutual respect of Nurse Ratched surfaced during the end of McMurphy's life. Randall's actions indicated his acceptance of his fate and of others' conditions. McMurphy voiced his concerns to Chief, and through those conversations, we learned of his adult like maturity. Both Holden and Randall used their life experiences as basis for future decisions. Gene, unlike the former protagonists, started out with a great deal of knowledge. His maturity level atrophied and he continued to partake in the same childish activities such as cutting class and teasing as he did in years past. As expressed in first person during Gene's inner struggles, he did show emotional maturity and remorse for actions he had completed. Each character seemed to grow and develop in stages, as we learned through their dialogue, actions, and thoughts. Therefore, the portrayal of the characteristics of the protagonist, his relation to other characters, and the main character's developmental maturity defend the fact that point of view was essential to the understanding of Catcher In The Rye, A Separate Peace, and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Qualities shared by the three protagonists were portrayed differently, however the message remained the same. Some other habits they had in common were smoking and the love to be challenged and debated. Holden, Gene, and Randall all confided in someone, although they expressed their companionship in distinctive ways customary to their individual personality. The stages of maturity each protagonist reached as a direct result of their interaction with others demonstrated emotional and psychological growth. There are various ways to portray key elements in literary works, but one must take into consideration that each point of view has its specific benefits and drawbacks.

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Summary: Holden a Teenager Lacking Hope
Review: The protagonist Holden Caulfield will forever remain a brilliant literary character as equivalent to Huck Finn in his episodic novel many decades earlier. Holden's cynical outlook on life makes him a very flawed narrator, however his satirical insight sheds new light on situations that forces a overly optimistic or even naive reader to reconsider their belief that the world is simply peaches and cream in a golden bowl of happiness. A very interesting character clearly makes this novel one for the ages both for it's controversial dialogue and nihilistic theme.

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Summary: Has anyone NOT read this book?
Review: The quintessential coming of age book. Holden Caulfield is on the lam from the prep school he's flunked out of. His name alone has become synonomous with teenage angst. Sad, enlightening, hilarious, ultimately hopeful, if you haven't yet read it, do so. Then buy another copy and give it to your favorite teen.

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Summary: Exactly!
Review: The reader from Ashland was exactly right -- Catcher in the Rye was, for its time, an amazing book. But if you are under forty and looking for something that is the NEW Catcher in the Rye, try Love Songs of the Tone-Deaf. Catcher is a classic, no doubt, but no book can be comtemporary forever. There's a new Holden Caulfield in town, the kind of guy you love to read about but might not be too fun at a party.

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Summary: this book ROCKS
Review: the reason i love this book so much is because it reminds me so much of my best friend, john. its really hard to describe, but all i know is that holden is JUST like john. it's weird. i find a lot of holden in myself, as well. i am in love with this story so much, i really think its one of the best ive read

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Summary: You should have been there
Review: The reason I read this book is because it is a classic, and I want to be a person who know the classics, if you want to know the truth. What can I say, I have inferior complex. So when I started reading this book I kept wondering: what the sonlvabitch is talking about? It is not like a classical classic at all! But eventually I stopped being phony and start enjoying it just for the hell of it.

This book is about this boy and he was so lost. You take a 16-year old boy, put some dough in his pocket, and place him in New York City, and boy, was he lost! He was smoking like hell and drinking his head off!

But deep inside he wasn't that bad. He is quite an observer and even witty, if you ask me. He knows who is phony when he sees one. Well, he is quite a phony himself, but at least he realizes it. Another thing is that he is very kind and sensitive and all. He cares about if the ducks will go south in winter --- how many adults worry about that kind of question? We probably worry more about if our stocks will go south or not. And he knows that letting others to express their feelings is much more important than "sticking to the topic" and getting a good grade in Oral Expression class. That is pretty witty, if you ask me.

I enjoyed that part about this museum he was talking about. It killed me. It really did. I used to skip class just to horse around this goddamn museum.

Now that I am a parent and all, I will tell you what I got out of this book: you have to be there, when your kid is all depressed and lonesome. You can't just make a lot of dough for him and send him to a phony prep school and think you are a goddamn good parent. You have to be with him --- not to keep telling him to apply himself, but to listen to him. You know why he likes to shoot bull with Phoebe? Because she listens! That kid can listen! You have to be there when he is depressed as hell over his dead classmate and dead brother, when he worrys about not having enough sexual experience, things like that. So next time he doesn't have to seek guidance from some college guy who won't listen after all at 10pm in a goddamn bar! You can't just give the work to some psychoanalyst, you have to be the catcher who catches the kid before they fall off the cliff!

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Summary: touching and deep
Review: The reason why this is such an excellent book is that it reaches in and touches the heart of any reader who has not yet made himself too cold and jaded to still feel. The plight of Holden is the beautiful and painful struggle of a sensitive youth, confronted by, and not wanting to face, the harshness of the adult world. Although he does not yet realize it, Holden is strong enough to someday grow into a man who can find a path of beauty and meaning in life. His journey through the initiations of adulthood prove a painful testament to the trials through which innocence must endure. (Not that anyone is entirely innocent, but a connection to goodness and beauty is sought after and found by some, renounced by others.)