Some books lead you into imaginary worlds and others into reality. If all the books in the world disappeared, I would keep The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger. On a two day odyssey through New York during Christmas break, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, 17, experiences a drastic change leading him into adulthood. After his brother 's death, Holden shows many symptoms of depression. Speaking to the audience in first person in a "hospital", Holden is able to strongly convey his feelings. After his younger brother 's death, Holden gets expelled from several schools. He has a unique view on life; he calls everyone a "phony" and is strongly judgmental. In my opinion, the book is very realistic and displays a thorough insight into a teenager
…show more content…
Salinger 's tone The Catcher In The Rye is astounding and is written in a pessimistic view that makes you see the optimistic side of things more often. J.D. Salinger writes the book with this idea of a journey through New York. Although Holden does many things, making it sound like he has been in New York for decades, Holden is in fact in New York for only three days. I believe this shows how some days can go slower than others and you should appreciate your everyday life. J.D. Salinger writes this book realistically by acting like he is talking to us. Although he says some things differently, he is still speaks like a teenager, informally, and quotations for emphasis as if it were a spoken …show more content…
For an example, when he was talking to his friend 's mother, he describes her son as an amazing boy but thinks the opposite; " 'Well. He 's a very sensitive boy. He 's really never been a terribly good mixer with other boys. Perhaps he takes things a little more seriously than he should at his age. ' Sensitive. That killed me. That guy Morrow was about as sensitive as a goddam toilet seat"(30). From this quote, we can conclude that Holden 's mind is not stable and does not speak his mind. This leads me to think, what if he is lying to the audience himself? The author, J.D Salinger, writes the book as an "autobiography" about his feelings, but teenagers, even adults, can relate to him through Holden 's feelings. This makes me wonder - where do all our sadness come from? Holden beautifully crafts a string between good and bad. Throughout the book, Holden seems sad, and when he has a happy moment, it seems amazing. Holden teaches us that beauty and happiness are rare and are worth holding on to. He also teaches the audience that although you have all these bad moments, you will reach a point where your life will become better. If all the books were to disappear, I would choose to keep The Catcher In The Rye because Holden is able to connect to me through his feelings. Holden continuously teaches the audience lessons about life and through his harsh days, we can see happiness. Through many troubles and events,
Salinger 's tone The Catcher In The Rye is astounding and is written in a pessimistic view that makes you see the optimistic side of things more often. J.D. Salinger writes the book with this idea of a journey through New York. Although Holden does many things, making it sound like he has been in New York for decades, Holden is in fact in New York for only three days. I believe this shows how some days can go slower than others and you should appreciate your everyday life. J.D. Salinger writes this book realistically by acting like he is talking to us. Although he says some things differently, he is still speaks like a teenager, informally, and quotations for emphasis as if it were a spoken …show more content…
For an example, when he was talking to his friend 's mother, he describes her son as an amazing boy but thinks the opposite; " 'Well. He 's a very sensitive boy. He 's really never been a terribly good mixer with other boys. Perhaps he takes things a little more seriously than he should at his age. ' Sensitive. That killed me. That guy Morrow was about as sensitive as a goddam toilet seat"(30). From this quote, we can conclude that Holden 's mind is not stable and does not speak his mind. This leads me to think, what if he is lying to the audience himself? The author, J.D Salinger, writes the book as an "autobiography" about his feelings, but teenagers, even adults, can relate to him through Holden 's feelings. This makes me wonder - where do all our sadness come from? Holden beautifully crafts a string between good and bad. Throughout the book, Holden seems sad, and when he has a happy moment, it seems amazing. Holden teaches us that beauty and happiness are rare and are worth holding on to. He also teaches the audience that although you have all these bad moments, you will reach a point where your life will become better. If all the books were to disappear, I would choose to keep The Catcher In The Rye because Holden is able to connect to me through his feelings. Holden continuously teaches the audience lessons about life and through his harsh days, we can see happiness. Through many troubles and events,