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Summary: Holden Caulfield is a troubled teenager, who is trying to frantically cling onto the past. We follow Holden on his three-day escape from the preparatory schoolthat he was kicked out of just a handful of days prior to returning home from school on his scheduled winter break from school. After the death of his younger brother, Allie, life for Holden has been anything but normal. Due to being in a recluse state, mad, and scared of the world around him, Holden has been distracted, which has led to being kicked out of his three prior prep. schools. The story takes place, for the majority, in 1950's New York City, N.Y. Throughout the book, the use of both cigarettes and alcohol continues to reoccur which both symbolize the need of Holden's to have the reality a blur. Holden wan't to grown up and be able to do all of the "fun" things that adults do, such as party, have sex, and drink alcohol.
Morals/ life lessons: We, as readers can take away many important life lessons from this novel. For instance, according to the text, "Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody," (Salinger 214). This message could be interpreted two different ways. For example, a reader could see this quote as one that is telling us to forget about the past, because it has already passed. On the other hand, another reader would suggest that this quote tells us to tell our secrets to people very carefully.
Another example of one of the many lessons that you can read by reading J.D. Salinger's, "The Catcher In The Rye", is that growing up is okay, because it is normal, everybody does it. According to the text, "I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around--nobody big, I mean--except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff--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," (Salinger 93). In analyzing this quote from the text, we imagine Holden standing on the edge of the cliff of childhood, overlooking the deep, dark pit of adulthood. It is important to note that he is standing on the edge, because it means that he is facing the problem sooner than the younger children- who are located in the middle of the rye, not very close to the cliff in question. In a further analysis, we also notice that the children are running to the edge of the cliff, in order to fall into the realm of adulthood. This represents the process of growing up, the process in which everyone has to go through, meaning that for one of the very few times in this book, Holden is not alone.
Why should we study, or even read this book? I mean, it's over sixty-four years old! Well, to answer your question, first I will have to note that books don't have an expiration date of any sort. For example, two books that have continued to remain popular and relevant throughout the years, are To Kill a Mockingbird and The Great Gatsby. To note, To Kill a Mockingbird is fifty-five years old, and The Great Gatsby is over ninety years old, and both of them have been countlessly read and studied from generation to generation. So, now you know that books don't have an expiration date. This book, and the other two, are timeless classics who both entertain, and educate the youth of every century. That's what is so interesting about literature, it doesn't expire when the current generation gets too old. I think that The Catcher In The Rye, is one of a select few of books that really "spoke out" to me. Eventhough I have never gone through the things that Holden has gone through, I felt like I was there with him the whole time. Keeping your readers interested is very important when writing a book, which The Catcher In The Rye has done, and as a reward, I will continue to read over and over again, and I will pass on the tradition, the tradition that the previous generation has done for me- telling me about this book. So, I would like to thank you previous generation for this.