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A review by zuomiriam
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
5.0
I've read this book a couple of times, and it's one of my favorite novels. It's been a little while since I last read it, so I decided to revisit it last night.
The Catcher in the Rye is quite a controversial classic; some people can't stand Holden Caulfield: they think he's insufferable/petulant/hypocritical/etc. but I belong in the second camp of readers, those whom this book speaks to. I find myself relating to Holden, not in his tendencies to lie and smoke and do things for the sheer heck of it, but rather in his distaste for phonies and mean people and his uncertainty towards the future. Yes, Holden at times embodies the traits he dislikes in other people; for example, he congratulates himself on being able to shoot the bull without thinking and he does things like saying "nice to meet you" to an Admiral because that's what he thinks people need to do in life. But, after these actions, Holden tends to feel sorry that he's done them in the first place; he's got weak impulse control and a strong sense of morality - I think Salinger's greatest success in this novel is creating such a three-dimensional character out of Holden, who is deeply imperfect but, in being so, becomes human. Teenagers aren't exactly known for being the most rational and clear-headed thinkers among us (after all, their brains are still developing). I actually find myself liking Holden. To me, Holden is stuck somewhere in-between childhood and adulthood, and, unable to go backwards but unwilling to go forwards, he moves around from one physical place to another because he can't quite find his place within himself.
The Catcher in the Rye is quite a controversial classic; some people can't stand Holden Caulfield: they think he's insufferable/petulant/hypocritical/etc. but I belong in the second camp of readers, those whom this book speaks to. I find myself relating to Holden, not in his tendencies to lie and smoke and do things for the sheer heck of it, but rather in his distaste for phonies and mean people and his uncertainty towards the future. Yes, Holden at times embodies the traits he dislikes in other people; for example, he congratulates himself on being able to shoot the bull without thinking and he does things like saying "nice to meet you" to an Admiral because that's what he thinks people need to do in life. But, after these actions, Holden tends to feel sorry that he's done them in the first place; he's got weak impulse control and a strong sense of morality - I think Salinger's greatest success in this novel is creating such a three-dimensional character out of Holden, who is deeply imperfect but, in being so, becomes human. Teenagers aren't exactly known for being the most rational and clear-headed thinkers among us (after all, their brains are still developing). I actually find myself liking Holden. To me, Holden is stuck somewhere in-between childhood and adulthood, and, unable to go backwards but unwilling to go forwards, he moves around from one physical place to another because he can't quite find his place within himself.