The Catcher in the Rye, 1951 - Comments about the Book
- Comments by Students, Teachers, and other Readers
- Students:
- I really enjoyed this book. The reason so many people empathise with Holden is because teenage isolation is something everyone can relate to. His transition from childhood to the unpredictable world of adulthood is illustrated beautifully. The fact that he sees everyone as phonies may irritate many readers, however I honestly feel he wasnt completely bitter at the world and this can be seen by his complete respect and admiration towards the nuns when he himself admitted religion wasnt something he adhered to and openly mocked Auckleys belief in religion. Although he is unwilling to enter Adulthood I think in the long run he will be capable of forming meaningful, lasting relationships. He came through in the end for old pheobe.
Suzanne Byrne, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
August 2004 - You guys are all phonies. American Literature has always been about capturing an image of society and examine it's flaws (no-one ever goes for the good things about society, that's not cynical enough). The beauty of The Catcher in the Rye is that Holden is a child in an adult world, and through his stream of consciousness writing style Salinger is able to present us with Holden's unadultered thoughts and judgements of our society.
Stephen Flavall, Bellevue High School, Bellevue, WA, USA
stephen_flavall@hotmail.com
February 2004 - At first i had a lot of sympathy for Holden and he seemed like a really cool guy but had a lot of problems of his own to sort out. As the book went on, i kept getting more annoyed with him, he seemed very ignorant and he seemed happy that way. i then realized he didnt know better adnd was trying to become a better person. I ended up liking Holden and his personality, he overcame many of his flaws and is a great person for it
Kate, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, USA
June 2003 - This book was really good I thought. It kind of annoyed me in the way that Holden constantly repeated himself. I think that Holden really needed to get a grip of reality. He felt bad for himself but afterwards he did think of the outcome. He thought of how he treated other people and the way the felt and what he did to make them like that. He thought what he should do to make it better ...he was just amazingly too lazy to do it. I think it was a good book and that everyone should read it. It does take along time though. Its a book that you cant just read alittle and understand Holden. You have to fully complete the book! ..Love always ~ Linds
Lindsay, Pamida, Quad Cities, United States
crzyangel01@hotmail.com
May 2002 - i really enjoyed this book. not only does it get into the mindset of a teenager, but all ages can relate to holden in that sense. he's a person who feels all alone in the world, and he's trying to find some sense of self definition. he he being torn for his longing to stay a child and go back to his family and firmiliar things, or to grow up into a world that is strange, new and exciting to him. if a person reads this book straight through and just looks at the plot at hand, they wont appreciate the true amount of literature and thought that has gone into his character. throughout the whole book holden matures and realizes what is important to him in his life. although sometimes he may seem naive, he gives life a different perspective at the end. his value of innocence helps to bring out his character and his urge to be the catcher in the rye. to catch the children before they fall off the cliff like he did. he was running around in life not looking where he was going, and he fell, and he doesn't want the children to fall. that is why he is the catcher in the rye. thanks for reading my comments
alex, newport high school, seattle, usa
March 2002 - I didn't really like this book. I thought the plot was really boring. But after studying it with my english class i understood it better, and it made more sense. I still don't really like it. Holden just frustrates me with his negative attitude. I also don't really like the wording.
It definately shouldn't be banned tho. freedom of speech.
naomi, whs, whakatane, nz
tha_lil_mermaid@hotmail.com
August 2001 - This book is so horrible. I can not disspense such an utter hatred towards this book. It seems that everyone likes it because they feel adult when they read it, but really this is one of the most childish books ever written. The story and plot is poor, and the cliches and continuous repetition gets dull even before page 10. And the cursing for no appearant reason is also stupid. The main character uses curse words to describe even objects that he likes. This is the most boring and stupid book ever.
George Brockheimer, Rample High School, Miami, USA
CatcherintheRyeSucks@hotmail.com
June 2001 - Everyone should read this book!
Quinese Stapleton, Miamisburg High School, Miamisburg, Montgomery
September 2000
- I really enjoyed this book. The reason so many people empathise with Holden is because teenage isolation is something everyone can relate to. His transition from childhood to the unpredictable world of adulthood is illustrated beautifully. The fact that he sees everyone as phonies may irritate many readers, however I honestly feel he wasnt completely bitter at the world and this can be seen by his complete respect and admiration towards the nuns when he himself admitted religion wasnt something he adhered to and openly mocked Auckleys belief in religion. Although he is unwilling to enter Adulthood I think in the long run he will be capable of forming meaningful, lasting relationships. He came through in the end for old pheobe.
- Teachers:
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- Other Readers:
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