The Catcher In The Rye

SEX, DRUGS AND CRIPPLING ANXIETY

J.D Salinger’s ‘Catcher In The Rye’ documents raging adolescence through the eyes of literature’s most perceptive teenager

For my second review, I plan to tackle the timeless, humorous and indisputably thought-provoking novel that is SO much more than a mere “coming of age” story. I was drawn to this novel through the encouraging testimonies of my English teacher , describing it as a book that every teenager should experience as they battle through the dreaded adolescent years. What I expected, was a charming tale of teenage antics, no doubt infused with drunken experiences. What I found, was a profound tale about human nature, and our inability to present ourselves as we really are.

Sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield hates anything that he deems to be “phony”, which inevitably means that he hates most things in life. Facing his fourth expulsion from high school, Holden takes a sudden swerve away from his white-picket-fence-minded room-mates, and decides to leave school on his own terms. The reader joins Holden on his excursion to New York, based in America’s sleeziest, grottiest hotel room with a fine wad of his parents’ cash to burn. It seems that what Holden seeks is the whole “Ferris-Bueller-experience”- an opportunity to live life to the full through lavish celebrations, eventually ending in securing life-long friendships and memories. However, the more time Holden spends seeking this  “carpé diem” attitude, the more alone he feels.

An impulse encounter with a prostitute leaves Holden humiliated, whilst his desperate search for company with old flames of his past leaves him longing for an idealised romance that simply does not exist. From my perspective at least, it appears that all Holden wants is for people to be genuine. This is a trait that he fails to find in his popular ex-roommate, his naïve female acquaintance, nor anyone he encounters during his time in New York. The only person with whom he finds sanctuary is his 10-year-old sister, who shares his quirky intelligence and passion for honesty.

Interestingly, the narrative is presented in such depth that the reader feels they are experiencing events in real time. For example, during an impulse-trip to the stingy bar of an esteemed pianist, the reader experiences every thought that passes through Holden’s mind, every sensation, every interaction, and every unit of alcohol that slowly creeps into his system. I felt I was reaching the point where I wondered, amongst all this chaos, what is it that Holden is really looking for? After a while, I came to realise- that perhaps the whole point of the novel is that he simply isn't looking for anything. He's a watcher, he's an absorber of the experiences of others, rather like the world's loneliest sponge. He's a Catcher In The Rye.

You'll soon become acquainted with Holden's familiar dialect, and his unconscious tendency to repeat the same words or phrases. This seems to  represent the notion that the narrator finds everyday experiences to be drearily repetitive. In fact, his whole life is infected by a repulsive 'same-ness' that leaves him with the constant feeling that he wants to escape. 

It is particularly interesting that the only character he seems to find true escape with is his sister, considering that she is only 10 years old. She is the only character in Holden's life to posses her own identity, whilst the others have grown into self-involved, "phony" creatures. Salinger seems to be suggesting that growing up results in the destruction of true honesty, which is reminiscent of a quote from one of my best-loved movies, The Breakfast Club: 'When you grow up, your heart dies.'

Too many people, it seems, limit this novel by reducing it to a humorous tale of adolescent rebellion. Whilst Holden appears to tick all the boxes of teenage bravado (heavy smoker-tick, heavy drinker-tick) he is far from your average teenager. What he really is, is an incredibly delicate individual who essentially suffers from a great deal of anxiety, which he attempts to deal with by floating from experience to experience, each one elevating in extravagance. Is he a reflection of daring youth? No. He's a gentle soul that takes the idea of "daring youth" and challenges it, crushes it, condemns it.

Although a slightly heavy novel at times; this is still an undoubtedly worthwhile read. If, perchance, you finish this book- and look back on it as nothing more than a funny tale about a young teenager experimenting with alcohol- please read it again. It is so much more than that.