The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye

I chose "The Catcher in the Rye" because it has become a cult classic. It has been referred to in movies, books, music, and a comic book. It has also been shrouded in controversy ever since its publication. Mark David Chapman was carrying the book when he was arrested for the murder of John Lennon, and referred to it in his statement to police. John Hinkley, Jr., who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, was also reported to have been obsessed with the book. Thirty years after its publication in 1945-46, The Catcher in the Rye was both the most banned book in America as well as the second most taught book in public schools.

The Catcher in the Rye is a story of Holden Caulfield, a seventeen-year-old boy recuperating in a mental hospital in Southern California. Holden is the narrator and protagonist of this tale. He has been expelled from his fourth prep school for academic failure and must now travel home from Agerstown, Pennsylvania to New York to face his family with his latest failure. The narrative describes Holden's thoughts and activities over these few days as he travels home and his attempt to journey from adolescence to adulthood. In the midst of an identity crisis, he describes a developing mental condition brought on by his bouts of unexplained depression, impulsive spending and generally odd, erratic behavior, which lead to his eventual nervous breakdown.

Metaphor - Holden's secret goal is to be "The Catcher in the Rye." He envisions a field of rye standing by dangerous cliff, children play in the field with joy and abandon. If they should come too close to the edge of the cliff, however, Holden is there to catch them. This is a metaphor for the transition of childhood into adulthood.

Foreshadowing - At the beginning of the novel, Holden states that he is in the hospital for being "pretty run-down." This foretells of his impending nervous breakdown.

Symbolism - The carrousel's gold ring is something that a rider can reach out and grab for a prize. However, there is a risk that the rider could fall. The gold ring represents a hope or a dream, and the chance we must take to reach for it.

Although this was a good story, it fell short of my expectations. After all the build up surrounding this story, I failed to identify with the draw that this novel