The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye is a major and well-known novel written by J. D. Salinger.
Published in 1951, the novel remains controversial today (it was the 13th most frequently challenged book from 1990-2000, according to the American Library Association [1]) and its hero, Holden Caulfield, has become an icon for teenage angst.
In the book, seventeen-year-old Holden Caulfield relates his experiences of the previous year (when he was 16). Holden flunked out from Pencey Preparatory School after failing almost all his subjects. After getting into a fight with his room-mate, Holden leaves for New York City, planning on spending a few days in the city before telling his parents. The book, written in the first person, relates Holden's experiences in those days.
Publishers Weekly reports that today the majority of purchasers/readers of The Catcher in the Rye are women.
Plot Summary
The book covers about half a week in Holden's life after being kicked out of school. Not wanting to face his parents, he decides to leave school early and spend a few days alone in New York City.
Themes
The title refers to Holden's ideal job: To be a catcher in the rye. It is a mistaken quote on his part of a line from a lyrical poem Comin' through the Rye by Robert Burns "gin a body meet a body, comin' thro' the rye"
It is a thought born of innocence trying to protect innocence. Holden imagines himself standing in a field of rye in which children are playing. In his imagination, there is a cliff just beside the field. He would stand in the field and catch the children if they came too close to the cliff, saving them from falling over it - he would like to be, he says, "the catcher in the rye". This probably refers to children losing their innocence and turning into the "phonies" Holden so despises.
The book also deals with phoniness. Holden despises dishonesty and false pretenses, and throughout the book is frequently picking out the "phonies" he sees around him. As a teenage boy who is deeply troubled by his own depression and personal failings, Holden believes that most of the seemingly happy or successful people he encounters are either liars or ignorant. Ironically, Holden is a phony himself, but does not realize it.
Characters
The central character of the book, and its narrator, is seventeen-year-old Holden Caulfield, aged sixteen during the events of the story. Salinger's clever use of slang lends Holden a rare ring of authenticity for such a complex character. Holden has been interpreted in many ways, from a cynical but clear-thinking critic of the adult world to a confused boy who is not as grown up as he thinks he is. He comments continuously, usually cynically, about the people he meets, the places he sees, and so on. He only really likes his sister, Phoebe Caulfield.
Many of the book's most powerful characters never appear. Allie Caulfield, Holden's younger brother, died several years before the book takes place. The night he died, Holden broke every single window in the garage, and had to be hospitalised. It is obvious from the novel that Holden has never completely gotten over his death. During his nervous breakdown, Holden calls to Allie to save him.
Another important non-appearing character is Jane Gallagher, a neighbor and friend of Holden's from his early teenage years. At the beginning of the novel, Holden discovers that his roommate, Stradlater, has been on a date with Jane. Stradlater has a reputation, and the thought that he might have slept with Jane makes Holden extremely angry, leading him to fight with the much stronger Stradlater, and later to leave his school. Holden tries to call Jane a few times in New York, but cannot work up the nerve.
Controversy
The Catcher in the Rye has been shrouded in controversy almost since its beginning. The main reasons for banning it have been the use of offensive language, premarital sex, alcohol abuse, and prostitution. Mark David Chapman, murderer of musician John Lennon, asked the latter to sign it for him on the morning of the day he killed him. Chapman was carrying the book when police arrested him immediately after the murder, and also referred to it during his statement to the New York Parole Board in 2000 [2].
ISBNs
- ISBN 0316769533 (hardcover, 1951)
- ISBN 0606048871 (prebound, 1991)
- ISBN 0316769487 (mass market paperback, 1991, reprint)
- ISBN 1561374504 (hardcover, 1998)
- ISBN 0822070383 (cloth text, 2000)
- ISBN 9660305869 (paperback, 2000)
- ISBN 0316769177 (paperback, 2001)
- ISBN 0758778570 (hardcover, 2002)
- ISBN 089064019X (hardcover)
- ISBN 0140237496 (Pocket), 2002
External links
