Catcher in the rye

As a very particular and somewhat impatient reader it was unusual and refreshing to be captivated by the very first sentence. J.D. Salinger’s famous ‘The Catcher in the rye’ portrays the emotions of a troubled fourteen year old boy as he struggles through what appears an unbearable challenge of life.  This novel may appear at first to be the whinge of the stereotypical teenage boy facing what seems like nerve-racking obstacles, however due to Salinger’s bizarre sentence structure and deliberate use of repetition of the colloquial jargon of the average confused 1930’s teenage boy, Salinger creates with such ease the familiarity of teenage rebellion, depression, confusion and determination that can be associated by all.  At an age where knowing what you want yet not knowing how to portray it or justify it. Salinger’s simplistic plot only emphasises the angst and uncertainty portrayed in only a few days in the main character Caulfield’s life. Using such a minimalistic structure may at first weary the reader yet due to the diverse language and grammatical techniques we realise the far deeper underlying psychological developments and progressions that one might suggest corresponds to that of the teenage life of Salinger himself.

Much like Caulfield, Salinger was moved from school to school getting a great taste of the educational system and with it all of the relationships built around your school ‘friends’ and teachers. One other factor however that is just as common in his novel and his day to day teenage life was his problem with bullies. Being a Jew in the early nineteen-thirty’s Salinger had allot to contend with, building a very ordered confusion in his mind of the façade of people, mentioning dozens of times how ‘people were so phony’. Changing his name to Jerry in order to try and hide his nationality Salinger also relates to Caulfield who does not himself give his true name away until right into the middle of the book making certain he has created a strong understanding and relationship between the reader and himself before revealing his true identity.

Writing in first person throughout the entire book only emphasises the personal connection Salinger is trying to create with the reader. This technique is perfect combined with the articulate word choices created to appear simple. Just due to this diverse structure and the entwined hidden psychological meanings this book is a must read for anyone who enjoys getting their teeth into a guaranteed satisfying read.