Review: The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

J.D. Salinger's critically acclaimed, hugely popular novel is the story of a teenage boy Holden Caulfield who feels alienated, isolated and confounded in a society he considers phony and driven by set conventions or rules. Holden on the other hand appreciates imperfection and deviance from the socially accepted norms and consequently rebels against the system. He is cynical, critical and almost hateful of everything and everyone with the exception of his 10 year old sister Phoebe. He simply cannot stand people acting against their nature only to keep appearances and stay popular . Holden is an extremely complex character who is unwilling to bend or mould to the ways of the social order and as a result misunderstood, rejected and alienated. He is thrown out of several boarding schools, has almost no friends, no love life, and is continuously taken advantage of because of his youth. This story therefore is an account of Holden's struggle to break through the barriers laid down by the society. However, whether he actually succeeds is not a subject of this book and remains a question that the reader needs to discover on her own.

This book is unique in that there isn't much of a plot or structure yet it keeps you engaged and its message resonates clearly and is loud enough to touch a chord within your heart. JD salinger's narrative told from the perspective of an 'ancient' 16 year old is extremely poignant and reflects truly the conflicts and questions virtually all of us face during those awkward adolescence years. As we stand on the cusp of adulthood, the innocence of childhood slowly fading, all of us feel a sort of alienation and rejection, the burden of peer pressure, the struggle to fit in, to perform the pre-defined roles set by the higher social order. This struggle, the insecurities and dilemmas of teenage are all captured brilliantly in Salinger's narrative and this is the true strength of this book.

On the whole, this is a book that is divisive because if you read it for a plot, for structure, for action and as a story that has a logical end, you would be disappointed. However, for a perceptive reader it works effectively as a character study and as a mirror of societal and personality conflicts, and therefore universally considered a significant work of literature. The Catcher in The Rye also helps you understand behaviour and the importance of freedom and free will.

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