The Catcher in the Rye
Common Sense Note
Parents should know that this book is simply loaded with mild to moderate swearing, with the f-word used several times when Holden is angered to find it as graffiti on his sister's school. There are also lots of sexual references, and everyone smokes and drinks.
Teens are often eager to discuss the book because they relate so strongly to Holden, who so clearly sees what he calls the "phoniness" of the adult world and his fear of taking his place in it. Discussion can also be drawn from the period nature of the book, the many ways in which our world is so different from that depicted in the book, as well as the deeper things that have remained the same.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Matt Berman
There are three true things that can be said about J. D. Salinger's masterpiece:
- It is one of the great works of 20th century literature.
- It is one of the most frequently challenged by would-be book banners, and therefor
- It is one of the most misunderstood books of the 20th century.
It has been challenged and banned for all of the reasons mentioned above in the content advisories, though by today's standards it might not even merit a PG-13 if it were a movie (and, oddly for a book this popular, it has never been filmed). But those who challenge it fail to see the forest for the little swearword trees. They have called Holden a cynical teenager, when in fact he is such a compassionate innocent abroad that he can hardly cope with the cynical world at all: so innocent and so alone that he tries to get a prostitute to just chat and keep him company (alas, no heart of gold here). Desperately lonely, adrift in what seems to him an uncaring world, he has been through some terrible experiences, and no one at all seems to have noticed that he is crumbling.
It's true that much of it is somewhat dated now. The casual racial references, the constant smoking (adults even offer him cigarettes), the lack of accountability (Holden goes missing from his boarding school for several days and if they have even noticed, they have not informed his parents) mark this as belonging to an earlier era. Holden himself is a type that hardly exists anymore: the teen New York urban sophisticate, who always wears a coat and tie, drinks mixed drinks (Holden's disdain for some rubes -- from Seattle! -- who "were drinking Tom Collinses -- in the middle of December, for God's sake" is hilarious), and hangs around in hotel piano bars. Yet there's a reason this book has stayed in print, is stocked in nearly every bookstore, and has been assigned in nearly every high school for the past 50 plus years: the emotional power and poignancy is still as strong as ever, and Holden's inner self is just as recognizable to teens today as it has ever been.
This is one of those books that everyone should read as a teenager. At a time (1951) when "teen" and "adolescent" were barely concepts in the American mind, Salinger captured the adolescent voice and way of thinking more perfectly, and more poignantly, than just about anyone before or since. Holden Caulfield holds a place in the American psyche akin to Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer: an exquisitely rendered character with whom nearly anyone can identify.
From the Book:
Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around -- nobody big, I mean -- except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff -- I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going. I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.
Plot Summary:
Holden Caulfield, about to be kicked out of yet another boarding school for flunking most of his courses, decides not to wait until the end of term, and takes off for his hometown, Manhattan, a few days early. He figures he'll hole up in a cheap hotel, look up a few friends, then arrive home on time. But Holden is deeply troubled, by the death of his beloved younger brother from leukemia, as well as the suicide of a classmate, and alone in an uncaring city his already fragile psyche begins to unravel.
Related Books:
Other Books by J. D. Salinger
Franny and Zoey
Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters
Seymour: An Introduction
Nine Stories
For Esmé, with Love and Squalor
Related Website
Catcher in the Rye Photo Tour
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Sexual ContentNothing explicit, but many sexual references: Holden thinks, worries about, and talks about sex frequently, and believes some of his teen friends to have had sex. In one scene out of loneliness he agrees to have a prostitute visit his hotel room, but then only wants to talk to her and ends up humiliated. In another he sees a couple engaged in foreplay, and a man dressing up in women's clothes. He refers to homosexuals as "flits." An admiring reference to a boy who lost his virginity at 14. |
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ViolenceHolden is punched several times, and remembers a boy at his boarding school who committed suicide by jumping out a window. |
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LanguageNear constant mild to moderate swearing, with a few instances of the f-word. |
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Social BehaviorHolden is on the verge of a breakdown, and behaves bizarrely at times, including lying quite a bit. He runs away from school and lives on his own in New York City for several days. |
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CommercialismSome places and products mentioned, many of which no longer exist. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoNearly everyone in this story drinks mixed drinks and smokes, both to excess. Holden gets quite drunk in one scene. |
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