Salinger, J. D. The catcher in the rye. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, (1951).
Annotation: Now that he’s kicked out of yet another boring school, Holden has to find out what to do with the week before he’s SUPPOSED to go home for Christmas… and maybe also the rest of his life.
Justification for Rejection: Just as often as any particular book is placed upon a literary pedestal due to its longstanding position as a “classic” work, others are just as quick to denounce it on the same merits. I had never read this novel in middle school when it was assigned; perhaps I was too similar to the protagonist Holden regarding schoolwork. However, due to its lingering location on so many of my friends’ “favorite books” lists, I have wanted to read it to find out what I was missing out on. As a whole, I was underwhelmed. Even though the main character is constantly on the move, it was almost as if nothing happened in the story whatsoever. For a “Coming of Age” story, Holden never went anywhere. The people, places, and things he does are just one long week of him moping around, and I didn’t feel there was any character development to enjoy, which is essential for me to feel like the protagonist has truly matured. The supporting characters also felt flat and 2-dimensional, which is easy when comparing them to the manic depressive Holden. His bouncing back and forth between “bored” and acting like a “madman” wore me down, but I can actually see some resonance in my own attitudes I held as an adolescent. One trouble for me was my inability to pin down Holden’s age, so my mental picture of his bipolar character was foggy. Words I have heard used to describe this book are “funny” and “dramatic”, but I didn’t find it to be either.
Fortunately, one enormous strength in this book is the narrative voice. It is so vibrant and dynamic, I am certain any reader would form a lasting impression of it. Salinger has Holden calling out each disturbingly intense feeling by name, which felt heavy-handed to me, but the mood and style of the writing easily carried the narration. Perhaps this book was more approachable and significant to a different generation, but I don't think it would be necessary or even advisable for every teenager to try this novel. In the end, I am of the opinion that every book should be somewhat fulfilling to read, if not honestly satisfying in some way. The Catcher In The Rye was neither for me, so I would unfortunately not recommend it for receiving Commendations.
