Did anybody find meaning in Catcher in the Rye

It's quite simple really: if you're angry, break glass.

Mark David Chapman found plenty of meaning in it.

I never thought it was too difficult to pick out the themes in this book. Alienating oneself as a form of self-protection is a pretty obvious one, as Holden (I think that was his name) does throughout. An example is him wearing his red hunting hat everywhere. It makes him feel different and therefore better than others. Another theme is the difficulty of growing up and going through adolescence, and the "phoniness" of the adult world. Also, Holden is troubled by loneliness, relationships with others, and sexuality. This are all very commonly discussed themes in the book and I have heard them over and over when hte book is brought up.

The results spelled his last name incorrectly, but Holden was a pretty good runner a few years back.

http://www.compuscore.com/cs2004/may/hoha1.htm

you did not find the theme of Catcher in the Rye!!!!! You just got that shitty explanation from your teacher or some website.

The entire book was an interpretation of our materialistic and fake society. Holden wasnt just some recluse teen having trouble with "puberty" or "sex"... these are just external excuses for a "theme"... the theme was that most people in society make themselves feel safe by staying withing the status quo of society... we do this everyday by having pointless, yet safe, conversations. we consume our lives with the materialistic illusions like buying polos, uggs, and wallabees. we go to church and school and never question any of it... Holden was struggling to find fearless and uncompromising relationships... Holden was not safe... Holden was not obscure....Holden was however a lonely soul searching for someone untainted by society

Note: holden was not immune to materialism, this was just the theme of the book

know it all

I always thought more than anything that the book was about his search for a perfect person to talk to in lieu of his younger brother that passed away. Holden has given him an uncompromised position as being perfect since he has been dead and this makes him find faults in others and this society. He most likely worshipped his older brother DB before allies death and now even finds him a little phony working for Hollywood. If u recall he sees "f*** you" written on a wall in Alies old school and it disgusts him, this is the ultimate manifestation of the absence of his brother, that he couldn't protect allie or watch him grow so he focuses this in anger at the cooruption of children.

Great monologue on the book:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFdZO_zh3uQ

from the movie Six Degrees of Separation

justintherunner wrote:

An example is him wearing his red hunting hat everywhere. It makes him feel different and therefore better than others.

I had thought the hat stood for the protection Holden needed when he felt vulnerable.

I loved the book. It's basically Holden complaining about everything in society, but I found it intriguing. I feel like I can relate to him and his whole 'phoniness of the world' beliefs. btw, I do believe the TCITR developed the word "phony". It was never before heard of before Salinger. Speaking of JD, that is one weird guy. Im not bashing him of course, but wow that fool..

phoniness

nice 40's New York winter, highballs, buildings, collage

He's good at describing people and events in small intresting details

sprite wrote:

The entire book was an interpretation of our materialistic and fake society. Holden wasnt just some recluse teen having trouble with "puberty" or "sex"... these are just external excuses for a "theme"... the theme was that most people in society make themselves feel safe by staying withing the status quo of society... we do this everyday by having pointless, yet safe, conversations. we consume our lives with the materialistic illusions like buying polos, uggs, and wallabees. we go to church and school and never question any of it... Holden was struggling to find fearless and uncompromising relationships... Holden was not safe... Holden was not obscure....Holden was however a lonely soul searching for someone untainted by society

I think sprite nailed it. This is why the book is titled "Catcher in the Rye". Doesn't Holden have a dream where he stands out in a field saving kids from falling off a cliff as they play some game. At the bottom of the cliff is a city (society) and he wants to stop people from falling to societal norms. I haven't read the book in 15 years, but this is what I remember.

You need to remember that Holden is in mourning for his brother and everything he does and says needs to be seen in that light. What most affected me in the book was his deep affection for his little sister Phoebe.

Read it as an adolescent, and you think Holden is a hero.

Read it 10 years later, and you realize how much he is to be pitied.

I think the meaning is that to grow up is to lose one's innocence, and to protect another's innocence is the highest form of compassion. Think of how upset Holden gets when he sees the F word graffiti and worries about his little sister seeing it. Also, his little sister is the one person he really cares about in this world, and she is still an innocent one.

The funny thing about the F-you is that he imagines some adult must have written it. He perceives innocence as something that must be protected, rather than as a something with a naturally limited life-span.

It reminds me of the end of The Great Gatsby. Something about "that great green breast of the new world that flowered here for Dutch sailors' eyes" and a "transitory, enchanted moment"(sorry for the inevitable misquote, that's from memory). There are parallels between Holden's attitude toward innocence and the imagined attitude of the sailors toward the new world. Perfection exists on Earth, but only in transitory moments. The moment of seeing the New World--it's full of infinite possibility, but it will inevitably be followed by the suffering and reality of life in a new settlement. There is also something perfect in a child's innocence, but it can be harmful to try to unnaturally prolong it. Kissing Daisy for the first time is the same. You have to accept that many of the best things cannot last.

The author found plenty of meaning. So did his off- spring. This book has been used for over 20 years in high schools and even colleges for required reading. Ka, ching!

Right. And the big realization is that no matter how hard he tries, he\'ll never be able to serve as the Catcher in the Rye.

From wikipedia:

\"At story\'s end, Holden grasps that he can neither take control of Phoebe\'s life nor prevent her from growing up. Inevitably, she will make mistakes as she matures, but he sees that he must allow her to grab the \"gold ring\" on the merry-go-round — symbolic of adolescent error. the merry go round also sybolizes that what goes around comes around and that life will always come around. Inevitably, that will include existential \"phoniness\", therefore, protagonist Holden has matured, coming to terms with his inability to be the \"catcher\" for Phoebe, and all other children — he must allow them to grow up.\"

Give 800 dude an A on his term paper. Holden's resonance with teenagers is legendary. A more mature reading finds him immature and naive, just as phony in many ways as the phonies he constantly berates. His is a character to be pitied rather than celebrated. Salinger doesn't say much at all and almost nothing about Catcher, but he has lamented that the book is has become so popular with so many teens who seem to identify with that character.

800 dude wrote:

Read it as an adolescent, and you think Holden is a hero.

Read it 10 years later, and you realize how much he is to be pitied.