My Review: "The Catcher and the Rye" - Would I have liked this book better as a teenager?

Warning: There are spoilers about this book here in this post!!!

As I read the first several chapters of the classic novel, "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger, I asked myself this important question -- "Can I enjoy a book when I don't really like or respect the main character in it?"  I doubted that I could.  

If it weren't for my reading partner Jonita the Book Chick, I might have put this book away after the first six chapters.  Yes, I'm serious!   But she and I made a pact to get through this novel together so I was determined to finish it!  (Actually, click here to read The Book Chick's thoughts on this book).

It was hard for me to get through this classic for the first 200 pages.   I must admit I thought the main character Holden Caulfield was whiney, annoying and frustrating.  He is the typical troubled teen who is at an awkward place in his life.  He feels stuck and unable to move forward in his education.  At sixteen Holden's been kicked out of several prep schools.  He can't stand anyone or anything around him.  Everyone is a "moron".  Everthing is "goddam" depressing to him.  Holden is wandering around the city of New York aimlessly, refusing to go home to his parents and refusing to take a real chance on life or any person. 

I can see why so many teenagers find this story appealing.  He portrays the "misunderstood" kid, the rebel without a cause (clue).  I wonder if I would have found him to be a noble character if I had read this book when I was sixteen instead of as a thirty-one year old adult.   As a grown up reading this tale, I wanted to shake some sense into Holden.  I kept thinking to myself.... "Why would anyone like this kid?  He doesn't seem to care about anything, not even himself..."

Please note that I did not get the "setting" for where Holden was telling his story from until I reached the very end of the book-- Holden is actually narrating his adventures from a mental hospital; although I don't know if that would have made a big difference for me in finding him more likeable in the beginning chapters.  However, once I got through the first 200 pages, I wanted to finish it.  

When I learned the death of his younger brother Allie, I did feel empathetic toward Holden.  I also appreciated his love and affection for his sister Phoebe.    Finally in the last 35 pages, I began to see changes in Holden.  I saw a glimmer of hope in him and I also started to like the novel. 

I enjoyed the scenes where Mr. Antolini, his former Engligh teacher, spoke to Holden about finding out "where to go" and "applying" himself and using his thirst for knowledge toward a greater purpose.  When he said that Holden is not the only teenager who has ever felt confused, frightened or sickened by human nature, I sat up and began paying closer attention....  I said, "YES, Finally!"  Because frankly I was tired of hearing Holden's excuses and hoping that this kid would do something with his life.  See - I'm an adult now!  If I was a kid reading this part, I'd probably want to fall asleep and tune the professor out like Holden did.  Hahaha!

I loved the quote that Mr. Antolini shared with Holden.  Such a great message (pasted below):

"The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one." 

Those words made me think of the differences between most young folks and adults.... Younger people are typically trying harder to prove a point whereas adults tend to just live their lives more casually through their established instincts and ideals.  That is a main theme in this book -- the separation that children feel from elders, how they just don't understand each other. 

Sure there have been times when I have felt how Holden does.  There have been moments when I thought I was surrounded by "morons."   But thankfully (for the majority of the time), I've moved past those feelings.  I've learned to appreciate people and places for what they are -- someone or something I can learn from.  I'm really glad to be an adult now.  I still struggle through the grind but I don't feel the need to run away from it all.  I face my fears and my weaknesses.  I try hard to talk about them openly. 


Every once in awhile though, Holden did say or do something surprisingly honest and funny in the book.  For example, I laughed out loud when he called Sally Hayes a "pain in his ass" to her face.  When he said that, I thought perhaps he had a breakthrough -- that he was finally going to speak what was really on his mind instead of just keeping things to himself  (internally complaining all the time).
 

Holden spends the entire novel calling everyone a "phony" but I often saw him as a phony too (which I later read reviews on -- many critics call that notion an underlying theme of the story).  But it's true in many cases -- Holden can't own up to his failures and lack of ambition.  But maybe it's because he's just kid?  Like I've said, my feelings toward him would probably be different if I had read his words when I was closer to his age.

Here are some interesting facets that I noted about Holden -- things I liked and did not like about him. 

Several things I like about Holden:

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  He is a good sibling.  I like how he bought a gift for his kid sister and thinks so highly of her and his older brother. 
• 
  
  I think it's sweet that he wants to be a "catcher in the rye" fields in order to save children from their death.  It's an obvious sign that he wishes he could've saved his brother somehow and his desire to keep all children innocent.   
• 
  
  I like his observations on people when it comes to elite groups - for example, how his former Irish-Catholic roommate was a decent guy but that he'd only really appreciate you if you were also Irish-Catholic.  This is sooo true with certain cliques and groups in society.

A few things I don't like and/or don't understand about Holden:

• 
  
  Why is he putting forth the effort to do his Pency roommate's English homework when he can't put any effort into his own life or his own studies?   I mean, really?  Why does he help someone get ahead in life who he doesn't even like/respect instead of trying to help himself?
• 
  
  Why does he subject himself to things that he claims he doesn't like -- going to the movies?  listening to music in piano bars that he thinks is lousy?  dancing with girls he doesn't find interesting?  To me this is when it seems he is being "phony" or untrue to himself .

The glimmers of hope for Holden come out when he's making observations about the ducks in the pond and also when he talks about the museum objects staying the same despite humans being different when they come to visit it.  Most of all, there seems to be a chance for Holden's happiness when he goes out of his way to ensure Phoebe doesn't run away like him.  His love for his sister shines when he watches her ride around and around on the zoo's carousel.  For me, that was probably the most beautiful moment in the novel.  I am guessing that this was also Holden's "a-ha moment" regarding taking the steps to receive mental help and make some changes in his life.  That's what I want to believe anyway. 

Despite my annoyances with the main character, I can appreciate the author and his overall coming of age story of a teenage boy.  Salinger's writing style is unique just as Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction," was to film critics.  You like and you dislike things about it.  Yet you have to admire its uniqueness and original way of storytelling. 


Although I do give kudos to the writer, I was honestly bored with the majority of the story.  I suppose I have done (and still do) enough aimless wandering around in my life that I don't feel like reading about it in a book.  Undertaking "The Catcher in the Rye" reminded me of how I felt when I read "Waiting for Godot."  I kept waiting for something to happen.  Now I realize that the novel was not designed to have a huge climax or resolution; rather the storytelling itself and the feelings of isolation, abandoment, etc are the key points to its understanding.


I think that is the main point of the novel.... Holden waiting for something in life and feeling stuck.... not knowing your place in this world and how to forge ahead.  That was what I took away most from reading this classic literature.   My interpretation may differ from others but this is how I viewed it. 



Overall, I value this book. I see why it's regarded highly in history and why it's called a "classic."  I'm glad that I read it even though I did not really enjoy it as a whole.  Now I can reference it and understand when others speak of the characters and themes.