I just finished reading The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger.  I’m digesting it now.  I read a couple of articles on the Internet where people are expressing their thoughts about the book, reminiscing about having had it assigned as literature in high school English classes.  I did read it when I was a teenager and at that time I thought I understood Holden Caulfield until that guy killed John Lennon in 1980 and that other guy tried to kill Reagan in 1981, both of whom carried copies of the book with them, having cited that they aligned with the character’s alienation.  I was like, what the hell???  There is nothing in that book that suggests murder.

But suicidal thoughts, yes.

The opinions of all of these other people made me question whether we had all read the same book.  But then I realized that we all stamp our own thoughts and perspectives on novels, don’t we?  We read with our human existence slant – and yet, a great novel takes that into consideration and allows for interpretation, doesn’t it?

That is what makes The Catcher in the Rye sooo good.

Reading it again – wow – there are things in there that make you understand Holden and, after watching a documentary on Jerry Salinger, there are things about him that make the writing of this novel catharsis for both he and his protagonist.

1.  Holden Caulfield’s brother Allie has died from leukemia.
2. Holden has an area of gray hair on his head.  Although not mentioned as such, this is a sign of trauma – normally of a physical nature.  He mentions that he’d been hospitalized and could not attend his brother’s funeral due to having injured his fist after punching a wall, but he also says that the gray tuft has been there for as long as he can remember.
3. Holden alludes to physical abuse again when he thinks his former teacher is caressing him inappropriately after calling him handsome.  He claims to be a virgin and keeping that innocence appears to be something he values – but – did something else happen to him???  Something much darker than what is offered?  Was he sexually abused somewhere along the line?

Holden is a person who cannot seem to process/verbalize his emotions due to these circumstances.  He is angry.  He swings and misses every time he tries to connect with people.  Then he reflects on the experiences and wishes he could have a redo.  He doesn’t hate these people because, it is implied that, he sort of hates himself.

Being the catcher in the rye is a daydream he has – that he wishes he could prevent children from physical pain, to rescue them if they get too close to a cliff.  He couldn’t save his brother.  He couldn’t prevent a tragic consequence of bullying involving another student that has happened at one of the many prep schools of his revolving door high school experience.

He knows he’s disappointed his upper crust father.  His mother has frequent headaches and relies on a housekeeper to rear her youngest (a daughter).  His older brother has left home for a successful writing career on the west coast.  The part where Holden complains about Hollywood-types parallels Jerry’s disdain for them – he never wanted to sell the film rights to his books.

Holden is on the precipice of destroying himself and it is his sister who lures him back with unconditional love.  He realizes that he wants to protect her.

Jerry Salinger was in the Battle of the Bulge on D-Day.  Surviver’s guilt is definitely a theme in The Catcher in the Rye.  It’s so much more than a story about teen angst.

Holden is from a wealthy family.  He has his own money, he’s attractive, he is well-read and well-bred.  On the surface he has the type of success that constitutes the American dream.  That is why I find this story so compelling.  The first person narrative offers the reader an insider’s view of this boy’s thoughts and views.  He makes decisions that are far too dangerous for a child his age.  I mean, was Manhattan as dangerous back in the late ’40s/early ’50s as say, the ’70s?  Or now?  He is tall, white, with a crew cut and a suit and tie, with money in his pocket – I don’t know.  I can’t imagine any sixteen-year-old in 2026 doing the things he does.  The cost of living back then, of course, was quite a bit less expensive than it is today.  It is a type of urban fairy-tale in a way:  Alice in Wonderland but with smoking, drinking and a whore/pimp thingy.  Holden knows where he is and yet, he is still profoundly lost.

The book starts and ends in this slice-of-life thing – we don’t really know what has happened prior to his brother’s death and we don’t really know if he is going to be okay.  If Holden was a real person, he’d be ninety-one today.  Salinger died in 2010.  He lived to be ninety-one.  I like to imagine that he, like Salinger, pushes through the PTSD, the emotional turbulence filled with bouts of anger and grief, and becomes a non-sell-out writer too.

I borrowed my copy of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger from the public library.  You can get a copy here.