Catcher In The Rye
Jan 25, 2003
I've just finished reading J.D Salinger's definitive masterpiece "Catcher In The Rye". There are plenty of "definitive masterpieces" out there and I really had no idea what the book was about. I figured since so many serial killers have read it it's gotta be a good read, right?
It's not exactly a story-driven plot, if what I hear is true, author J.D Salinger "couldn't think of one". It's about a boy, a principled, frustrated, cynical sixteen year old boy. He's got a lot of hate, he's got a lot of problems, I got the feeling he could blow at any moment and do something stupid, like kill someone. Hoping, actually, mostly due to the aforementioned weak story. Meanwhile, he's just your average kid.
The story isn't the point though, Holden Caulfield, the disgruntled adolescent protagonist, is.
The book is told in a conversational way, as if Holden is telling you his story himself. What surprised me the most, or first, was the language. Except for a couple uses of the word "swell", Holden's language is like that of any contemporary teenager's, yet the book is written in 1951 and the plot holds just as much relevance today.
What I don't understand though, is why it for so long was banned from schools as well as public libraries. A great book, if you ask me, that bears countless readings.
Comments
Darn you, Tomas! Now I must buy the book... and read it! =]
Comment by David Collantes at 03:46, 25 Jan, 2003 #
Congratulations to a successful jump across the generation gap ;-)
K.-
Comment by Klipspringer at 11:15, 25 Jan, 2003 #
This book was required reading in my high school. Unofficially of course. I hid it in my locker and read it on the bus home.
It's been banned because misguided parents are afraid of what might happen to their children if they read those "bad" words and thought those "bad" thoughts.
Comment by Jeff at 19:08, 25 Jan, 2003 #
I don't see what's controversial about it, either, and I had no idea it was banned....
Tomas: nice description. I just never saw the protagonist as having a lot of problems or hate, he's pretty lucky actually, his "hate" is just a healthy dislike for pretensions. I doubt the Holden character is the kind that would kill anyone. He's just the prototype of the young smart 'rebel' type. More like James Dean than a serial killer.
(btw, who were the serial killers fans of the book?)
Comment by nickie at 18:25, 26 Jan, 2003 #
nickie: well, he does hate just about everything and everyone, if only for a short while at the time. he seemed very emotionally unstable to me. meanwhile, he's just another kid...
i'm not sure what serial killers or murderers were fans of the book, actually. google searches shows several documents saying that this is indeed the case, but i can't find any site listing them all. i know john lennon's killer, mark david chapman, is one, but he's just a murderer..
Comment by Tomas at 19:08, 26 Jan, 2003 #
Wow! This was a great way of digging into the book. After reading it, I can understand why The Catcher in the Rye is such a hot book.
Please do Email me a copy of all Catcher in the Rye findings you come across. I would appreciate it! : )
Comment by Smartguy at 17:26, 07 Nov, 2003 #
does anyone know of any murderers/serial killers besides mark chapman that possessed and OBsessed over a copy of this book?
Comment by shaina at 21:33, 13 Mar, 2004 #
The discussion has been closed on this entry. Thanks to everybody who participated.