Catcher In Rye Essay, Research Paper

Catcher In The Rye Dan Michael

Jerome SalingerP.1

274 pages

Fiction

Catcher In The Rye, is a book about an emotionally disturbed, sixteen year old boy, named Holden Caufield. Holden’s problems start when his friend and roomate, Robert, ask his ex-girlfriend out on a date. Holden still has feelings for the girl and becomes very angry with Robert. The night of Robert and the girl’s date Holden waits in their room and confronts Robert, they begin fist fighting, and then get expelled for their actions. Holden cannot return home because his parents do not know of his expelment, so Holden flees to New York; where he meets a male teacher that takes him in. The teacher makes sexual advances towards him, which forces him to leave immediately. Holden sneaks into his house while his parents are sleeping, his sister, Phobe is awake and gives him extra money and talks him into going back to his prep school. Holden returns to school the following summer.

I found the scene with Holden and the teacher very interesting; because the teacher acting weird and in a way perverted was very unexpected. I did not see it coming, and usually things like that are obvious in books. I also thought it was interesting the different ways you could of perceived the teacher’s actions, and maybe Holden just took him the wrong way and the teacher meant nothing by it. The scene made you think.

Holden is my favorite character because he had many of the problems I have had just not as extreme. Such as the fight with his friend over the girl, and getting advice from his sibling. I found he was similar to me in more than one way. I also liked his courage and how he was able to go out on his own, even if it was for a very short while. I also like his outgoing personality, the only difference and thing I didn’t like about him was his unstableness, which I guess everyone as a little of that in them.

Even though the book had a lot of negativity, I believe Salinger’s purpose for writing it was positive. I think he trying to show the awkwardness of adolescence and teenage years, and how a person of this age can sometimes feel like everyone is against them. But, he showed how no matter what happens you will get through it, “this to will pass”, and that if we could just see it at the time it happens, most of our problems are trivial

The main character in this book, Holden, is who I can personally connect to the most. He went through some experiences that I too have gone through. Holden and his good friend Robert end up fighting over Holden’s ex-girlfriend, whom he still has feelings for. When I was in the third grade my friend, Jay, and I fought over a girl named Tiffany. One lesson came from that and it was never let a girl get in the way of a friendship; they are not worth it! I also count on my older brother, Mark, as Holden counted on his younger sister, Phoebe. We both ask them for advice and usually take it.

I enjoyed, Catcher And The Rye, but mainly found it to be very interesting and different. In fact, it is one of the most unusual, unpredictable books I have read. I would recommend it to anyone that likes books that make you think, because this one sure does that. I thought the book could have been shorter by cutting out parts that ran on too long, but overall it was a very good book and not at all what I expected it to be, which I like in books.