Throughout reading J. D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, I found myself with little to say during discussions. Usually, my books from Mr. Mitchell's class are totally marked up and I have a bunch of pages flagged as super significant scenes or topics to write about for papers but for Catcher I rarely wrote anything and have two pages marked. Maybe writing about writing about Catcher will help me figure out exactly how to react to the novel.
I liked the book. Readings were interesting and not taxing to read, especially compared to Portrait. I liked that there was a clear story line and well developed characters. I also liked all the characters or at least the depictions of them. They were interesting people to read about, from Maurice to Mr. Antolini to Ackley to Sally. Holden was funny, too. I definitely found myself laughing along with him throughout the novel but still, day by day the book didn't elicit a significant response from me.
I think one reason I wasn't head over heels for the book, was because I wasn't head over heels for Holden. I definitely liked Holden, but I don't feel oppressed in the same ways as he does and I actually enjoy many of the social customs he despises. Then again, I liked his biting sarcasm because I tend to have a pretty sarcastic sense of humor too. I related in a lot of ways to Holden but he wasn't my favorite protagonist I've ever read about and this book is ALL Holden, from page one until the end, it's just his experiences and opinions. If I had been more emotionally invested in him, I probably would have become more immersed in the book and become more willing to debate about him with my peers.
Especially when I have a whole class of wonderfully smart individuals, I tend to prefer to read novels I wouldn't get as much out of on my own. Portrait, Mumbo Jumbo, Ragtime, Mrs. Dalloway, Invisible Man etc. come to mind however, I think I could read Catcher on my own with great success. The book goes lighter on obscure metaphors and allegories than other books we read and those are the kind of things I like to point out in class and discuss. It's fun to pick a symbol or idea out of a book and realize that many people that read the book completely miss the point you've just discovered. I didn't have as many literary revelations in Catcher as I did in Portrait.
Also, not going to lie, I was SO sad when Holden and Jane didn't get together. I was SO ready for an adorable love story because they seemed super cute and then it didn't happen. Not even close. I was extremely disappointed to say the least. I understand why that wasn't the right move for Salinger but I was still sad.
Anyways, in the end, it was a good book. There were a couple of discussions (although I was sick for a lot of them) and scenes that stood out to me but it wasn't my favorite book ever. It was fun and the versions of the reflective and critical papers I'm doing are cool but Holden's attitude didn't always speak to me, maybe I'm just too nerdy and academically motivated for him... I still wish that Jane would have been more central.
I was also disappointed that nothing much developed with Jane. In fact, the whole book felt like it was leading up to something and then it never really came full circle. For example, I was surprised that we never figured out exactly what happened at the end of the story, and how the incident with Mr. Antolini wasn't analyzed further. All in all, I enjoyed the book, but it is frustratingly incomplete in many ways.
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