Book Analysis

I recently finished reading Catcher in the Rye again for the second time. It still definitely remains one of my all time favourite novels and for good reason. But I'm not writing this post to talk about why I think Catcher in the Rye is a great novel, it's more of an analysis type post.

When I read Catcher in the Rye for the first time in Grade 11 I think what I liked (and remembered) most about it was Holden's observations of the phoniness in adults. I believe that I thought that I could relate to his insightful view of the world where he sees many establishments (such as school) and adults as "phony". I could relate to this, as being in high school, I felt that many things were indeed "phony" especially some of the people that I knew at the time. I could understand how Holden would just like to get away from it all, and become a recluse and a "deaf mute" in his own words. Basically, I felt as if I could relate most to Holden with regards to his life at school (swearing, curse words etc) and how he felt about the majority of the people there. Additionally, it made me think about the inappropriate "fuck yous" that I had often seen inscribed in hallways/bathrooms. Oh ALSO, I thought that I could definitely relate to Holden's "teenage angst" being at that stage in my life. I felt as if I just had some sort of inherent frustration towards establishment and people who seemed phony. It's tough to explain.

Life is interesting in that sometimes you don't really notice how much you've changed. It's hard to say what I found interesting back in Grade 11, but I think that I got most of it down. What really intrigued me is that parts of the books that I focused on more now that I was older. It's hard to believe that Grade 11 was almost 3 years ago. God, I feel old and somewhat depressed just typing that line out. The first thing I noticed when reading this time was more related to Holden's immature and his ability to seem truly like a child at times. I think this is perhaps more evidence pointing to the fact that I_have_matured. Either that, or I've just turned into a huge phony. The bottom line is that Holden doesn't seem as astute as I first thought but he gives an interesting perspective on society nonetheless even if it is a very biased one.

One of the main themes I also realized through Holden's immaturity is that society and the people it in are complicated. Holden is confused because on his adventure his interaction with others do not perfectly fit the perspective of society he has created for himself - a place where all adults are phonies and all children are innocent. For example, Holden's conversations with the Nuns on the subway confuses him because it helps him realize there are seemingly "good" adults out there.

Now the average reader might think that Holden is just stupid. Of course society and people are complex. Of course things aren't black and white. But I feel Holden's problem is one which echoes in the everyday lives of many people, including myself. Many people tend to create unrealistic views of the world where things do have black and white categories. And similar to Holden, people feel threatened and downright ignore any evidence that might challenge their views. I think Holden's situation is an indication that once again we need to start reflecting and thinking "outside the box".

But, more specifically, on Holden's view about all adults being phonies I can't say that I'm entirely convinced as I was when I first read the novel. Once again, my experiences in university have broaden my perspective on the different types of adults (and just people that there are out in the world).

Another major theme is innocence, especially in children. Innocence is a big thing I discovered when first coming to university. Now that it's been almost a year I feel that I've seen, done, and been exposed to far "darker" things that I would've liked. Looking back now, I was pretty innocent in high school. But I can't say I agree with Holden wanting to rub off all the "fuck you's" in elementary schools. Sooner or later, people have to be exposed to the way of the world. A better option would be to try and change the mentality of the people rather than simply delaying an inevitable truth.

Speaking of changes in University one of the feelings I can relate more with Holden now is the somewhat childish wish that things could be unchanging and preserved. When Holden goes into the museum he wishes that the world could be still forever just like the figures in glass cases that he sees. After going off to university, the world seems to be moving at an alarming pace - much faster than I ever wanted it to. I think we all have a need for consistency somewhere in our lives.

Perhaps the last way I felt I could connect with Holden is just through his ability to simply want someone to talk to who he didn't think was a phony. Throughout the entire novel, he basically spends the whole time searching for someone that he can just relate to but when he actually likes someone (like the Nuns) circumstances force them apart or he ends up just getting stick of someone after a while and thinking they are phony. This has really paralleled my first year of university, in a way. I feel like I've been searching for someone to relate to or even care about in but I end up either not liking them after hanging out with them for a while or just thinking they are sort of phony - just like the masses of people. However, while I have met people who do stand out to me there are always some circumstances which make it impossible for me to really get to know them any better. I think sometimes, as Dessi said, I just expect too much.

The last line in the novel is "Don't ever tell anyone anything, if you do you end up missing everybody." Holden says that even though he hated some of the people he went to boarding school with at the time he eventually misses them in the end. I feel that I understand this line more now too. There's plenty of people I didn't particularly like or even care about that I went to high school with. But sometimes when I see them on facebook, or talk to them briefly on msn I can't help but miss them in a way. At the time of leaving, I didn't care that I wouldn't see them again. But some things in life just need time to saturate. Will I feel the same way about the people I've met in University as well?