One of the most popular novels of all time is “The Catcher in the Rye”, in fact, annually over 250,000 copies are sold. Many would say this is the book that turned J.D. Salinger into a very well known author. At the time of it’s release, the novel was very different and unique while at the same time being very controversial. The novel contained a strong theme of innocence in children while also containing vulgar language, sexual content, under-aged activities, and violence. The main character, Holden, was major figure and icon to many teenagers at the time. Many thought that this portrayed a poor image of America’s youth. This caused the novel to be looked down upon by many and also to be banned and challenged in many schools across the U.S. Today, the novel is still a controversial topic among ,however, many have started to recognize its literary importance and have started to accept it. The novel is about a teenage boy named Holden whos mental state is deteriorating and his journey from his boarding school to New York City. Holden is the complete opposite of what any parent would want their child to be. He is a very rebellious, egotistic teenager who has psychological problems. No one in the book other than his family family and his childhood love, Jane, meets his expectations of what he thinks a human being should be. Throughout Holden’s journey, he gets into many situations that aren’t typical for teenagers to encounter including getting beat up by hookers and raped by his teacher. He also partakes in many disgraceful activities teenagers that are typically looked down up like under-aged drinking and smoking. His journey overall was something really something unique and unexpected at the time. Overall I personally thought this novel did not even come close to the expectations. It contained a really tasteless plot and also an easily dis-likable protagonist. While I was reading the novel, there was just a feeling of oblivion. The plot went nowhere and each new scene was just small interactions between Holden and characters that would never be mentioned in the book later on.The small interactions also did not help build the plot at all, many of these interactions felt really insignificant to the novel. I really had a strong dislike towards the beginning of the novel, when Holden was being developed. To me, he just comes off as a rich and snobby kid who was handed everything on a silver platter that just doesn’t care. He is the epitome of a brat. Whenever something doesn’t go his way, he throws a fit and runs away. As the novel went on, I was able to tolerate more and more because he ended up being an exceptional brother towards his sister, but overall I just had a strong feeling of dislike towards him. I personally would never recommend this book for anyone unless that person enjoyed books with tasteless plots and un-admirable characters.
The novel is about a teenage boy named Holden whos mental state is deteriorating and his journey from his boarding school to New York City. Holden is the complete opposite of what any parent would want their child to be. He is a very rebellious, egotistic teenager who has psychological problems. No one in the book other than his family family and his childhood love, Jane, meets his expectations of what he thinks a human being should be. Throughout Holden’s journey, he gets into many situations that aren’t typical for teenagers to encounter including getting beat up by hookers and raped by his teacher. He also partakes in many disgraceful activities teenagers that are typically looked down up like under-aged drinking and smoking. His journey overall was something really something unique and unexpected at the time.
Overall I personally thought this novel did not even come close to the expectations. It contained a really tasteless plot and also an easily dis-likable protagonist. While I was reading the novel, there was just a feeling of oblivion. The plot went nowhere and each new scene was just small interactions between Holden and characters that would never be mentioned in the book later on.The small interactions also did not help build the plot at all, many of these interactions felt really insignificant to the novel. I really had a strong dislike towards the beginning of the novel, when Holden was being developed. To me, he just comes off as a rich and snobby kid who was handed everything on a silver platter that just doesn’t care. He is the epitome of a brat. Whenever something doesn’t go his way, he throws a fit and runs away. As the novel went on, I was able to tolerate more and more because he ended up being an exceptional brother towards his sister, but overall I just had a strong feeling of dislike towards him. I personally would never recommend this book for anyone unless that person enjoyed books with tasteless plots and un-admirable characters.