The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger ,book review

Short summary:

“The Catcher in the Rye,“ written by J.D. Salinger, is the most incredible story of a young boy Holden who wants to be ‘Catcher in Rye’ in the future, who has a vision about saving immature minds from being exploited and abused like his own life. In the story, the boy tells his own story, explains his school life, and says that the school principal expelled him many times from the school for being a troubled child. Holden explains that being expelled from the school once again, he did not want his parents to know about him and left the school, but his unconditional love and care for his sister forced him to visit the museum and see her even in his hardest times when he wanted to die.

During the whole time, Holden met many girls, but no one of them accepted him because of extremes in his behavior. He also hires a prostitute but ends up just talking to her and leaves the place. The last part of the story is the most sensible moment, as in this part Holden meets his favorite teacher and tells him that he wants to become a catcher in rhyme and save children from being matured at an early age and losing their innocence.

Main Relationships in “The Catcher in the Rye”:

Stradlater:

He is Holden’s classmate in the story who is extremely spoiled, a handsome, popular guy in the school. But Holden does not like him because he is ignorant of the cleanliness of his personal stuff and has many girlfriends. In the story, he appears to be arrogant and satisfied with his personality. That’s why Holden calls him a “secret slob.”.

PHOEBE Caulfield (Holden’s beloved sister);

Phoebe is Holden’s ten-year-old sister who loves her brother—the healthiest relationship described in this story. Holden’s love for his sister is appreciable. As he isn’t ignorant about her even in his hardest times. “Phoebe” was a sensible girl who wanted to save her brother and also advised him about his career.

Mr. Spencer:

Holden’s history teacher at Pencey Prep is the person who tries to develop his interest in his studies.

Role of Holden’s Teacher in the Story:

The emotional attachment shown in the story between Holden and his teacher is unconditional.

Personal Insights:

These are the most attractive lines in the book The Catcher in the Rye. The young mind of Holden wanted to save children from early maturity and losing their innocence very fast—’ being the victim of the whole trauma. Because of this novel is more popular with young teens than adults. Despite the social insecurities, the death of his brother Allie, the distance from the family, and school principal expelled him many times by school, he had not left hope and wanted to lighten up the lives of other young children like him. He wanted to save them and didn’t want them to lose in the dark scenario of the world.

The writing style and the description of emotions is appreciable, especially the character of his favorite teacher, who runs his fingers through his hair until he falls asleep. Even at the time when he had accusations of being such a troubled and problematic child, was fascinating.

It is a powerful novel appealing to the minds of the young generation because it highlights the facts and figures of how social threats and anxieties lead the mind of an immature child into the scary depths of human devastation.

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