The Catcher in the Rye
When I read this book, the entire time I felt an uncomfortable connection to Holden. He can be described as rebellious and conceited, but to be honest, I think he's just sad. He talks about everyone around him as phony and ingenuous, and how he likes lying and toying with them just to see how they react. I'm surprised to say that I've felt the same way before, and maybe I'm not special for that. During lunch at school, sometimes I get extremely disinterested in the conversation, which at that moment, seems extremely phony and meaningless, just as Holden describes. I like telling small lies at times just to joke around with people and see their reaction. As someone who I think has experienced the same feelings as Holden, I believe these emotions and this apathy comes from unhappiness. When I am happy and in a good mood, I am perfectly fine to chat during lunch with my friends. However, when I am sad and lonely, these topics seem completely trivial and meaningless. It was strange seeing him make so many self destructive decisions while knowing that I, in a bad mood, would likely do the exact same thing. I guess I could take this book as a flag for what might happen to me if I were to let myself completely wallow in my negative thoughts. And I guess that's where a crucial difference between me and Holden is. I certainly don't dwell on these emotions as long as Holden does, and I suppose that may be because I have more support than Holden does. In my opinion, Holden does not have anyone he can completely connect with, and that's the source of his unhappiness. I, fortunately, have a family and a group of friends who will look after me if I get too lost. Another difference is Holden is more willing to dismiss everything as stupid and below him in an attempt to protect himself. I think I have a more aggressive and proactive stance than Holden, but there are certainly times when I dismiss everything as well. I don't really know what my conclusion after all of this reflection is, but I do want to say that reading this book was very enjoyable for me. Seeing another person in the same mental boat as me reveal all their "ugly" thoughts without a filter was refreshing. Another sentiment I got from reading this book was to work on myself more, so that I don't fall into the same depression that Holden often finds himself in, because from the book it seemed really easy for Holden to defend his own pathetic state, and I am afraid of that happening to myself as well.
Yeah I think the appeal of this book is just how easy Holden is to relate to. He is what we all experience from time to time but taken to an extreme. I was indifferent to this book though, although it is useful insight, it was not a particularly thrilling read for me. I enjoyed his lack of a filter but only to an extent, once you have heard the same line about phonies for the umpteenth time you start waiting for him to change.
ReplyDeleteYou make an excellent point about Holden's general lack of a support system: he needs intervention beyond being reminded that school is important and he needs to start applying himself. He has a bunch of casual friends and roommates from his various schools, and people generally seem to like Holden (it's worth noting that people generally don't seem to see him as especially "negative," and he rarely seems to give voice to his feelings)--but there's no one he's close to, or a "good conversationist" who will understand and validate his feelings. In general, it seems to me that we, as a culture, and your generation in particular are much more comfortable talking about these kinds of issues than in Holden's day. He feels like the first 16 year old who has ever felt this way, and when he tries to see if Sally relates at all, she is baffled. Holden's loneliness is existential, in a way--he feels like no one else is recognizing how messed-up the world is, and he has no vocabulary to talk about his depression apart from euphemisms like "I'm crazy" or "that depressed hell out of me."
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way as you while I was reading this book. I actually read it for the first time last year and it's weird how I felt more sympathy towards Holden this time around and I think that's because I'm able to understand his feelings better now. Like you said, Holden is sad and lonely and that's probably where all of his negativity stems from. If he had friends and a family which he could confide in and trust, maybe he wouldn't have such a negative outlook on life. It's unfortunate that Sally, the only person he decides to confide in, doesn't understand his feelings. If he had asked more of the people he knew if they had ever felt the same as him, I'm positive Holden could have found that many of them related to what he was feeling at some point or another. Certainly, some of the readers can relate.
ReplyDeleteI really like that you compared yourself to Holden, because it shows how relatable of a character Holden is to many people, including myself at times. This is the main reason why I enjoyed Catcher in the Rye, not because of the story or plot, but just Holden's character. I also like how you mentioned his lack of a support system and how that contributes to his character. I think a lot of us at this school are lucky to have a network of people that support you, whereas Holden does not and he falls into a pit of depression.
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