The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye

I chose “The Catcher in the Rye” because it has become a cult classic. It has been referred to in movies, books, music, and a comic book. It has also been shrouded in controversy ever since its publication. Mark David Chapman was carrying the book when he was arrested for the murder of John Lennon, and referred to it in his statement to police. John Hinkley, Jr., who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, was also reported to have been obsessed with the book. Thirty years after its publication in 1945-46, The Catcher in the Rye was both the most banned book in America as well as the second most taught book in public schools.

The Catcher in the Rye is a story of Holden Caulfield, a seventeen-year-old boy recuperating in a mental hospital in Southern California. Holden is the narrator and protagonist of this tale.