THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

This year marks the 75th anniversary of J. D. Salinger’s 'The Catcher in the Rye'. The Den revisited this remarkable novel, which most of us had read at school or university to see how it has stood the test of time. Published in 1951, it is an elegy to teenage alienation told through the eyes of Holden Caulfield who has just been expelled from yet another school. Interestingly, there is no official film of 'The Catcher in the Rye' as J. D. Salinger deemed the story too intricate and internal to be made into a film and his estate has continued to block any adaptations.

The novel is narrated by seventeen year old Holden who has just been thrown out of his Pencey Prep prestigious boarding school and instead of waiting for his parents to be notified to collect him, absconds to New York. For the next few days, Holden flits from place to place, visiting bars, staying in a seedy hotel, wandering round Central Park whilst randomly calling vague acquaintances, love interests, teachers from his past and most poignantly his younger sister Phoebe. Some of these calls result in brief meetings at various locations and disclose a heart-rending and wretched scenario of a confused young man on the brink of a breakdown. We soon learn that Holden’s behaviour is a tragic circle of repetition in his life as he has continually been thrown out of many schools, hasn’t had the relationship with women he refers to and has always been the outsider. However, through this stream of consciousness his observations are incredibly sharp, often witty and skilfully incisive. Everything which was once spectacular and sophisticated he now regards as phoney, people as shallow and ignorant and plays as lousy. Each link up in New York reveals that many people do care for him, but his frenetic state of mind and erratic behaviour make him hard to help. All this only intensifies his extreme loneliness and paralyses his ability to relax and fit in.

The Den still found this an incredibly moving, riveting and devastating read as we were drawn into the chaotic mind of this young man. Holden’s interior monologue not only reveals someone spiralling out of control, but also captures the beauty of freedom of thought of the world he lives in. When Holden’s sister Phoebe persists with what he likes and what he would like to be he says a “catcher in the rye – the person who stands on the edge of some crazy cliff and has to catch thousands of little kids before they go over the cliff.” A heart-breaking analysis of his own life and how he feels.

Will you find this a wonderful re-read or will you now find Holden’s behaviour frustrating, spoilt and rebellious?