The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger's classic turns 60 this year.
Today, I came across this post by a priest whose understanding of himself, Holden, and one of the book's key passages has developed and transformed, thanks to some Flannery O'Connor as well as personal experience.
When I first read Catcher in my junior year of college, my absolute favorite part of the book was when Holden explained to Phoebe that all he wanted to do all day was stand on the edge of a big cliff, making sure that the kids playing some game in the field of rye didn’t fall over the edge. I bracketed that entire section with a blue pen. A couple of years later, when I read Catcher for the second time, that business about keeping the kids from falling over the cliff remained my favorite part, but this time I underlined the entire section with a red pen and then wrote “Priesthood 173” on the first page of my book, which is where I always make a personal index. Every time I’ve readCatcher since, I’ve stopped on page 173 and thought to myself, “this is what the priesthood is all about.” I always thought of Holden standing on the edge of that cliff as an image of Jesus the Good Shepherd, and I loved that all he wanted to do all day was to save people. That all changed about two years ago.
Do you have strong feelings about the book?
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Jan '11
Re: The Catcher in the Rye
I fall in with those who enjoyed it in high school but didn't identify with it much years later. I can't bring myself to hate it, though. Holden's angst and disillusionment with so many around him really struck a chord for me as a teenager. So much about high school and the people in it seemed 'phony' to me then. A couple decades later I can see how self-important Holden was (weren't we all, though?) and how his misanthropy echoes that of the author. I can't deny that the book is overrated. It might even be the most overrated book. But I can't write it off completely if it meant so much to me back then. There's something about it that speaks to that time when we've left childhood wonderment behind and "real life" looms large; the period when we realize, "Oh, this is the world I'm inheriting."
Apr '11
Re: The Catcher in the Rye
I can't say I'm that nostalgic about it myself, but plenty of what you said resonates. Great post
Jan '11
Re: The Catcher in the Rye
Thanks, take_the_cannoli. I don't necessarily agree with the sentiment of this related bit of photoshoppery, but it's amusing.