The Catcher in the Rye

Article written by Emma Baldwin

B.A. in English, B.F.A. in Fine Art, and B.A. in Art Histories from East Carolina University.

The novel is a frame story that follows a period in the life of a young man named Holden Caulfield. Holden, who is the narrator and main character, takes the reader through his newest expulsion from school, his frustration with his friends and family members, failed dates, and outlandish plans that come to nothing. Throughout, he expresses his belief that the people around him are “phony” with nothing to offer but disingenuous platitudes. It is a coming of age story that has resonated with decades of readers.

Key Facts about The Catcher in the Rye

• Title: The Catcher in the Rye
• Published: 1951
• Literary Period: Late Modernism
• Genre: Bildungsroman (coming of age story)
• Point-of-View: First-person
• Setting: Pennsylvania and New York in 1950
• Climax: When Holden leaves Mr. Antolini’s house and decides to run away
• Antagonist: Adults and “fake” people

J.D. Salinger and The Catcher in the Rye

Although J.D. Salinger did not spend a lot of time sharing personal details from his life, scholars have been able to draw some parallels between the author’s life and that of Holden Caulfield. Throughout his career, Salinger expressed his interest in writing about young people. In fact, he did so almost exclusively. This is seen through his short stories and novels. One of the influences on him, as he crafted his characters, was his own personal history. Just like Holden, Salinger grew up in New York City in upper-class homes. They both flunked out of prep schools and felt similar feelings of dissatisfaction with the world. In fact, Salinger hated the fame that he received after the publication of the novel and moved after its publication to Cornish, New Hampshire where he lived for the rest of his life. Scholars often connect Salinger’s experiences in the Second World War to Holden’s view of the world. He is intensely cynical, tired, and very much not the youthful, hopeful young man that he should be.

Books Related to The Catcher in the Rye

J.D. Salinger became an intensely private man after the publication of The Catcher in the Rye. This was due mainly to the increased fame that he experienced and the press for interviews and statements about the book and its future. Therefore, it’s not entirely clear who Saligner’s major influences were on his construction of the novel. At the time of its publication, it was intensely original, making us of a new voice and style of writing that shocked many and pleased many more. Salinger is thought to have been an admirer of Ernest Hemingway’s work, or at least the man himself. He met the novelist during World War II in Paris. After taking a close look at the most important themes in The Catcher in the Rye, there are some connections that can be drawn in regard to other novels. For example, a reader might be reminded of James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, another very famous coming of age story. Or, in the same genre, All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. Alongside these is A Separate Peace by John Knowles and even The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. The latter is often referenced due to the similar emotional circumstances the main characters find themselves in. Mental illness is one of the main themes in The Bell Jar and is certainly a part of The Catcher in the Rye.  More recently, readers might find similarities between The Catcher in the Rye, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Looking for Alaska. 

The Lasting Impact of The Catcher in the Rye

When readers think of The Catcher in the Rye it is often Holden’s world view that first comes to mind. The young man’s hatred of adults and all those he sees as phony is something that has resonated with the young and old throughout the decades. His opinion that no one says what they’re thinking or what they really mean is not without merit and his tortured reaction to the world he lives in is deeply relatable. Although most would not go so far as to attempt to run away from home, the impulse to do something different than the world expects of you is there. It is due to this world view that Salinger expressed in the novel, the use of language, and sexual references that got the novel banned throughout the United States as well as in other countries around the world. Teachers were fired for including it on their syllabi and it is still contentious in some more conservative parts of the world. The Catcher in the Rye, despite the fact that it was and is still a victim of censorship, is considered to be one of, if not the, best coming of age stories ever written.