Catcher in the Rye

I finished reading the Catcher in the Rye this morning. It was kind of a strange book to read. There didn't seem to be much in the way of a plot. It seemed at first just to be a retelling of two days of the protagonist's life. I ended up really liking it though. The main character Holden Caulfield's attitude towards growing up is easily identifiable. Holden didn't want to grow up and become apart of the world that he saw around him. He saw all the "phoniness" that comes with being an adult. His overly cynical view of the world led him to isolate himself from others.

Holden's response to Phoebe suggesting that he become a lawyer struck a chord with me. He told her that it would be all right if you went around and saved people all the time, but it didn't work like that. He said they worked so they could make a lot of money and buy cars and drink Martinis and be a hotshot. He also said that even if you did save people all the time, you might just do it so that people would think you're a terrific lawyer, and that would make you a phony. Holden echoes a sentiment that I also have towards society and growing up. So many people are just doing their jobs because it pays well. They aren't contributing anything important to either society or the world. They're doing it so that they can live a "comfortable" life until they die. Even if you are doing something noble like saving people, somewhere along the way, you might lose that original good intention and conform to the pressures of society and end up being a "phony." Holden is afraid of growing up and becoming what he hates.

Towards the end of the book, it seems that Holden is starting to accept that he is going to have to grow up. He knows he has to grow up but he is confused on what to do because he is so disturbed by the human condition, and he doesn't want to grow up and just conform to what society wants him to do. Mr. Antolini offers him some advice that comforted both Holden and myself. He tells Holden that there have been men and women that have come before him that felt the exact same way and rose above it to do great things. He also told him that some of these men and women wrote about their experiences and that he could learn from them. I feel the same way as Holden a lot of the time. I don't want to grow up, get a white-collar job, settle down, and then grow old. I don't want to conform to what society wants me to do, and I don't want to become like so many adults out there. I want to find a way to rise above all of that and be something more. I don't know what that is though, and it's easy to start to lose hope about it all. It's easy to let your cynicism take control. Mr. Antolini's advice gives Holden