Book Of The Week 3/20/2013: The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger

The Catcher In The Rye

by

J. D. Salinger

     This is a novel about an adolescent male named Holden Caulfield who is floundering.    He has not only the normal angst of the usual teen aged coming of age stuff but,  as with many teens who begin to fail,  his family experienced a major loss which left him grieving when his younger brother died of leukemia.  With no sense of belonging and no support system of any kind his grief has developed into depression by the time frame the story takes place.  His parents have failed him,  as have the adults in the boarding schools he has been attending, as they place blame on him for his lack of concentration and poor grades rather than working with him.  During the course of the story,  the only adult he trusts betrays him by making sexual advances.  It is a book that makes the reader laugh at  times but at the same time is a very sad story.   Reviews of the book can be compared and contrasted by the essay that is linked to the title above.   This book is the March selection for my library book group.  It is a book that has had a great impact since it was  published.  Sometimes taught in schools and other times on censure lists due to language and sexual content,  most Americans have read it.  I had read it many years ago but had forgotten most of it so enjoyed reading it again from the perspective of an adult rather than a teen.   It will not make my top ten list for 2013 but I am glad to have been re-exposed to this novel.    One thing that has added insight for me as I re-read it this time was to study a bit about J.D. Salinger's life.  If one clicks on the link of his name in the title line above one goes to a biography of the author.  In the bio is the following:

   In a 1953 interview with a high-school newspaper, Salinger admitted that the novel was "sort of" autobiographical, explaining that "My boyhood was very much the same as that of the boy in the book ... [I]t was a great relief telling people about it."

It is interesting to note that having grown up Jewish, Salinger later learns that his mother was a convert and not born Jewish. Since the Jewish line is considered to follow through the mother this would contribute to a lack of a sense of belonging in Salinger himself. Also his constant move from one religious tradition to another through out his life leaves one with the feeling he was searching for answers himself. Salinger's reclusiveness buddies up with Holden's depression. In my opinion The Catcher In The Rye has a lot more to do with what was in inside J.D. Salinger's head than it does with the state of American youth.