Now unscowl your faces, good people. Objections noted. In fact, I had more trouble deciding if Catcher in the Rye belonged in Practical Classics than any other book.Catcher, it seems, belongs to a small group of high school classics with a built-in self-destruct button.No one reads Atlas Shrugged past age twenty-five unless they voted for the Objectivist candidate in the last election. The Catcher in the Rye is J.D. Salinger’s 1951 novel of post-war alienation told by angst-ridden teen Holden Caulfield. Controversial at the time of publication for its frank language, it was an instant best-seller, and remains beloved by both teens and adults. Read a character analysis of Holden, plot summary, and important quotes. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger Since its publication, this title has been a favorite target of censors. In 1960, a teacher in Tulsa, Okla. Was fired for assigning the book to an eleventh grade.

Book #2: The Catcher in the Rye October 4, 2010

I have to admit, the first time I read The Catcher in the Rye, I thought Holden Caulfield was a dick. It was several years ago that I first read the book by J.D. Salinger, and I simply saw Holden as a self-righteous, pretentious rich kid that could get away with anything. This is the perfect example of how re-reading a book after years can completely change a reader’s experience.

Since I first read The Catcher in the Rye, I’ve experienced both loss and love in a way that only comes with age. I’m only 33 years old, so I’m not trying to sound like a great sage, but I’ve lost a close grandfather and a grandmother to whom I was very close but grew distant. I’ve witnessed my wife’s loss of her father at a young age and amazement as friends have brought new life into the world, include the little whirlwind that is my nephew.

Only now can I really understand that Holden Caulfield is not a teenage jackass, but just a boy that was never given the opportunity to grieve for his brother and was separated from his sister, the only other person that really cares about. But before I move further into my analysis of Holden Caulfield, The Catcher in the Rye’s protagonist, a quick plotline.

While I generally avoid Wikipedia’s plot overviews, the site’s review of The Catcher in the Rye is actually fairly well-written and complete. In general, teenager Holden Caulfield has failed out of yet another boarding school in New England. Rather than returning home to New York City at the end of term, he leaves on a train in the middle of the night, tramping about the city, even hiring a prostitute. But when the young prostitute arrives at his cheap hotel room, all Holden wants to do is talk.

The key to his adventure in the city is a visit to the Natural History Museum, where he notes that the exhibits never change. Here is where we really get a view into Holden’s damaged psyche, where we can get just a glimpse of the deep loss he feels from the death of his brother. Eventually Holden sneaks into his parents’ apartment to see his younger sister Phoebe, where he talks of his fantasy of being the “Catcher in the Rye,” protecting innocent children from falling off a cliff.

Holden eventually returns home to face-up to his parents, and in the finale, after skirting around what has happened, he admits he was sick and spent time in a mental hospital and is about to go to another boarding school.

I now see Holden Caulfield very differently; he’s no longer a flat, misbehaving character that dismisses everyone else. He is damaged and sad and misunderstood. The worst thing that could have been done after the death of his brother was separating him from Phoebe, and his repeated successful efforts to fail out of boarding schools is simply in order to return home. Holden feels that with the death of his brother, he lost his childhood, and by imagining himself the “catcher in the rye,” he can protect others from the loss he experienced.

The Catcher In The Ryems. Scrolls Ela Classes Online

First published in 1951 for adults, The Catcher in the Rye has become required reading in many high school English classes. Unfortunately, this is a prime example of youth being wasted on the young – without life experience similar to Caulfield’s, teenagers can’t truly grasp Holden’s emotional rollercoaster.

The Catcher in the Rye should be given to every parent just as their kid is entering puberty. Holden experiences emotional highs and lows, pushes the boundaries as far as he can but steps back before going too far, and in general, acts like the teenager he is. And for any parent that has lost a child, Holden Caulfield is a window into the mind of a teenager following the death of a sibling.

While I enjoyed reading The Great Gatsby, re-reading The Catcher in the Rye really opened a new window for me into the characters and how well Salinger captures Holden’s grief. I hope I can remember Holden’s pain and better empathize with those who lose a love one.

Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to the library this week, so I am jumping around the top 100 banned book list in order to read another two books I already have – Animal Farm by George Orwell (a key part of my education as a political science major in college) and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, home of one of the most noble characters in all of literature. I will be on the road the most of this week for work, so hopefully time in the evening will be available while hanging out in hotel rooms in Frostburg and York.

The Catcher in the Rye: Introduction

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The Catcher In The Ryems. Scrolls Ela Classes For Beginners

Although The Catcher in the Rye caused considerable controversy when it was first published in 1951, thebook—the account of three disoriented days in the life of a troubled sixteen-year-old boy—was an instant hit.Within two weeks after its release, it was listed number one on The New York Times best-seller list, and itstayed there for thirty weeks. It remained immensely popular for many years, especially among teenagers andyoung adults, largely because of its fresh, brash style and anti-establishment attitudes—typical attributes ofmany people emerging from the physical and psychological turmoil of adolescence.

It also was the bane of many parents, who objected to the main character's obscene language, erratic behavior,and antisocial attitudes. Responding to the irate protests, numerous school and public libraries and bookstoresremoved the book from their shelves. Holden simply was not a good role model for the youth of the 1950s, inthe view of many conservative adults. Said J.D. Salinger himself, in a rare published comment, 'I'm awarethat many of my friends will be saddened and shocked, or shock-saddened, over some of the chapters in TheCatcher in the Rye. Some of my best friends are children. In fact, all my best friends are children. It's almostunbearable for me to realize that my book will be kept on a shelf out of their reach.' The clamor over the bookundoubtedly contributed to its popularity among the young: It became the forbidden fruit in the garden ofliterature. For some reason—perhaps because of the swirling controversies over his written works—Salingerretreated from the New York literary scene in the 1960s to a bucolic New Hampshire community calledCornish, where he has lived a very private life and avidly avoided the press. Despite the fact that he hasgranted few interviews, there is a substantial body of critical and biographical works about Salinger and hisall-too-brief list of literary creations.

The Catcher in the Rye: Overview

Background

The period following World War II was a time of hope, change, and puzzlement. Today’s youth have come
to know this period through television sitcoms (Happy Days and Ozzie and Harriet), movies (Rebel Without aCause), and early rock ‘n’ roll music, which is still heard on “oldies” radio stations. Needless to say, theseprovide a simplistic picture of this complex period (1945-60).

In reality, an estimated 50 million persons had died during the six years of World War II. They died on thebattlefield, of starvation, and as a result of genocide. The United States buried its dead along with the rest ofthe world, but the country emerged from the war intact, even flourishing, from an economic point of view.The “war industries” continued into the postwar years, causing the economy to expand. It was a time ofprosperity, unlike any in history.

Whereas the various New Deal programs of the Roosevelt administration had failed to lift the country out ofthe Depression, the war had energized the national will, sharply expanding employment, productivity, andcapital investment. After the war, automobiles and major appliances were suddenly available. Indeed,everybody needed them because, during the war, raw materials had been used for the war effort rather than for“luxuries” like washing machines and refrigerators. Interstate highways and intercontinental airliners madetravel easier, cheaper, and, thus, more available to the middle class. Mass-produced tract houses brought homeownership within the reach of the majority of workers. Jobs were plentiful. The American Dream was withinthe grasp of everyone.

But this is only part of the story. In 1950, America was at war again. This time it was the Korean War. It wasalso the beginning of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Each side competed with