I have been a voracious reader for as long as I can remember, and coming into adolescence, books have become my sanctuary. Every moment of doubt or despair was made bearable by a book. I lived in a world created by my imagination, and each time reality disappointed me, books were there to catch me before I lost hope. On introspection, I realize that my love for books comes from a desire to find a relateable situation and character. It was a desire to be understood and empathised with that made me turn to books. Such is the power of empathy. It allows us to feel each other's pain and joy. Usually, it is the reader who is expected to empathise with the characters and it is the reader who lives vicariously through these characters. However,
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Salinger. It follows protagonist Holden Caulfield over a period of a few days, after his dismissal from school. The book explores many themes, including adolescence, angst, alienation, suicide, sex, drugs and alcohol, mental health and love among others. It is from the point of view of Holden, a sixteen or seventeen year old, who doesn't try very hard at school except in English. He is mostly uninterested in the usual running of the world, and is more obsessed with emotions and thoughts and why people are the way they are. He does not care about things like money or getting a job, and wants to get away from it all. Holden considers himself a saviour of children, mainly due to his own younger sister, and he believes that he must save children from the world and from losing their innocence. The title of the book is a reference to this self proclaimed mission of Holden's. It is based on an old rhyme, Comin' Thro' The Rye, in which little children are playing in a field of rye. Holden perceives this field to be on the edge of a cliff, the field representing childhood and innocence, and the abyss beyond the cliff representing adulthood and corruption of mind. He wants to protect the children playing in the rye, and catch them before they fall off the cliff, making him the Catcher in the
Salinger. It follows protagonist Holden Caulfield over a period of a few days, after his dismissal from school. The book explores many themes, including adolescence, angst, alienation, suicide, sex, drugs and alcohol, mental health and love among others. It is from the point of view of Holden, a sixteen or seventeen year old, who doesn't try very hard at school except in English. He is mostly uninterested in the usual running of the world, and is more obsessed with emotions and thoughts and why people are the way they are. He does not care about things like money or getting a job, and wants to get away from it all. Holden considers himself a saviour of children, mainly due to his own younger sister, and he believes that he must save children from the world and from losing their innocence. The title of the book is a reference to this self proclaimed mission of Holden's. It is based on an old rhyme, Comin' Thro' The Rye, in which little children are playing in a field of rye. Holden perceives this field to be on the edge of a cliff, the field representing childhood and innocence, and the abyss beyond the cliff representing adulthood and corruption of mind. He wants to protect the children playing in the rye, and catch them before they fall off the cliff, making him the Catcher in the