The Catcher in the Rye J. D. Salinger The Catcher in the Rye is a story about
a young man named Holden Caulfield and the experiences that he faces after being
dismissed from school. This book contains a great deal of symbolism, but it can
very easily be missed in its simple story line. The story line itself is very
basic, and I do not feel that the plot is very well written. When taken the time
to appreciate it, this book is without a doubt a classic. As was stated in the
first paragraph this story contains a great deal of symbolism. In the beginning
of the story, when Mr. Spencer fails Holden, Holden is surprised about the
failing grade and his mind begins to wander. He thinks about Central Park and
how when the pond freezes over the duck leave. He shows a great deal of concern
for what happens to the ducks. I believe that his concern for the ducks while
the pond is frozen over symbolizes his concern for what he is going to do now
that he has been dismissed from school. Much later on in the book Holden is
talking with Horwitz, an angry cab driver, about what happens to the ducks and
fish when the pond freezes over. Perhaps Holden is still unsure about what is in
store for him and what he should do with his life. Holden’s character does not
relate to people very well. Throughout the story Holden is longing for a
companion.
He does not have a very good personality so instead he uses money to
get the likeness of others. In many instances his buys drinks for women to win
their respect, but most of the time he is not very interested. Although Holden
is very generous, his generosity is limited to his wallet. However, Holden does
care very much for his sister Phoebe. She is ten years old and is very charming
and intelligent. Holden cares deeply for her because he lost his brother Allie
to leukemia and he never wants to lose another sibling. Holden is also a very
opinionated character. He is always concerned about other people’s
personalities. In one scene Holden was listening to a conversation a couple was
having and he was disgusted on how funny looking the two were, but he thought it
is good that they were together. While he was listening to them he was becoming
irritated at the guy because he would not stop talking about some pro-football
game. I found it strange that he found it irritating because it was none of his
business. Holden’s way of thinking can sometimes be very strange. The Catcher in
the Rye is overall a great book. J. D. Salinger did a great job of keeping the
story simple yet interesting. Holden was a very interesting character that
enhanced the book. After reading and analyzing this book I now understand why it
is so renowned and respected.
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