J.D. Salinger – The Catcher in the Rye (1945)
Novel – 190 pages – my copy (paperback; 1994) bought for £2.99 from the Oxfam Bookshop in St. Austell, Cornwall in July 2010
- 5 nods out of 5 -
The Catcher in the Rye is one of those novels that have captured public imagination for more than half a century. It charts the tale of Holden Caulfield - a confused and angry teenager – and his attempt to remove himself from the world around him; primarily away from “the fakes”.
Salinger’s creation has long been a hit with fans: Holden has been rhymed in song, debated in critique, while providing the misguided inspiration in Mark Chapman’s killing of John Lennon. One of its enduring images is of Holden talking about his self proclaimed role to save the kids playing amongst the rye from falling from the cliffs: ‘I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. 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.’ (p156).
The Worm read Salinger’s short and lively novel whilst a child himself; Holden’s quest for truth and enlightenment staying long with him. Now, older – even if perhaps no wiser – the Worm returned to the book as a nod to the novelist himself, who died earlier this year. What makes The Catcher in the Rye an enduring read is the continuing strength of the characters. Of course, Holden himself, but also those around him: Ackley and Stradlater from the dorm, the ‘three witches’ from the bar, Maurice the pimp, Mr Antolini, and Holden’s kid sister, Phoebe. They remain vivid due to Holden’s portrait of them, his opinions both potent and powerful.
The reader remains loyal to Holden and his search for honesty, from the bars and clubs, to the talks with the taxi drivers, to his heart-felt reminisces of his dead brother, Allie. We believe him when he tells his girlfriend Sally he wants to run away with her, and believe him again when he confesses: ‘If you want to know the truth, I don’t even know why I started all that stuff with her. I mean about going away somewhere, to Massachusetts and Vermont and all. I probably wouldn’t’ve taken her even if she’d wanted to go with me. She wouldn’t have been anybody to go with. The terrible part, though, is that I meant it when I asked her. That’s the terrible part. I swear to God I’m a madman’ (p.120).
Second read, there are noticeable pitfalls in the text, begging the question: did Salinger actually know where he was going with this character, with this story, when writing it? Most likely not. Furthermore, the ending would have been better served a page short, thus removing the final line: ‘Don’t tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody’ (p.192), and replacing with the much stronger image of “good old Phoebe” riding upon the merry-go-around, Holden’s eyes full of tears.
The Catcher in the Rye will continue to capture popular imagination; the strength of Holden Caulfield cannot fail to evoke questions within us about our place in society and interactions with those we love and trust. But it is a read best served when under twenty years of age; perhaps the advancing years distance the reader from Holden’s naive quest for his own brand of the truth.
Novel – 190 pages – my copy (paperback; 1994) bought for £2.99 from the Oxfam Bookshop in St. Austell, Cornwall in July 2010
- 5 nods out of 5 -
The Catcher in the Rye is one of those novels that have captured public imagination for more than half a century. It charts the tale of Holden Caulfield - a confused and angry teenager – and his attempt to remove himself from the world around him; primarily away from “the fakes”.
Salinger’s creation has long been a hit with fans: Holden has been rhymed in song, debated in critique, while providing the misguided inspiration in Mark Chapman’s killing of John Lennon. One of its enduring images is of Holden talking about his self proclaimed role to save the kids playing amongst the rye from falling from the cliffs: ‘I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. 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.’ (p156).
The Worm read Salinger’s short and lively novel whilst a child himself; Holden’s quest for truth and enlightenment staying long with him. Now, older – even if perhaps no wiser – the Worm returned to the book as a nod to the novelist himself, who died earlier this year. What makes The Catcher in the Rye an enduring read is the continuing strength of the characters. Of course, Holden himself, but also those around him: Ackley and Stradlater from the dorm, the ‘three witches’ from the bar, Maurice the pimp, Mr Antolini, and Holden’s kid sister, Phoebe. They remain vivid due to Holden’s portrait of them, his opinions both potent and powerful.
The reader remains loyal to Holden and his search for honesty, from the bars and clubs, to the talks with the taxi drivers, to his heart-felt reminisces of his dead brother, Allie. We believe him when he tells his girlfriend Sally he wants to run away with her, and believe him again when he confesses: ‘If you want to know the truth, I don’t even know why I started all that stuff with her. I mean about going away somewhere, to Massachusetts and Vermont and all. I probably wouldn’t’ve taken her even if she’d wanted to go with me. She wouldn’t have been anybody to go with. The terrible part, though, is that I meant it when I asked her. That’s the terrible part. I swear to God I’m a madman’ (p.120).
Second read, there are noticeable pitfalls in the text, begging the question: did Salinger actually know where he was going with this character, with this story, when writing it? Most likely not. Furthermore, the ending would have been better served a page short, thus removing the final line: ‘Don’t tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody’ (p.192), and replacing with the much stronger image of “good old Phoebe” riding upon the merry-go-around, Holden’s eyes full of tears.
The Catcher in the Rye will continue to capture popular imagination; the strength of Holden Caulfield cannot fail to evoke questions within us about our place in society and interactions with those we love and trust. But it is a read best served when under twenty years of age; perhaps the advancing years distance the reader from Holden’s naive quest for his own brand of the truth.
