1. Jerome David "J. D."
Salinger
He’s a contemporary
writer, infact he was born
in 1919, on the 1st january
and he died in 2010.
He was American, he was
born in Manhattan, New
York.
He attended public schools
on the West Side of
Manhattan and then the
Mcburney School.
2. Jerome David "J. D." Salinger
His parents enrolled him into Volley Forge Military Academy in
Pennsylvania, here he began writing stories.
He started to attend New York University and then Columbia
University, but he was restless, uneasy, a disaster at school,
like Holden, the young protagonist of his masterpiece “The
Catcher in the Rye”. Infact he said : ” Holden is a young myself”.
Salinger fell in love with Oona O’neill, but she became Charlie
Chaplin’s wife.
In 1942 he joined the invasion of Normandy.
In 1952 he published “The Catcher in the Rye”, a book that
really changed the literature of the time and also his life, infact
he had a great succes.
Shortly after he retired from public life and he died 2 years ago.
3. The catcher in the rye
This book talks about
Holden Caulfield, a young
boy (he’s 16), who was
expelled from Pencey
Prep (a private school in
Pennsylvania) for his poor
academic permormance,
so he decided to come
back to New York, where
he lived.
The book focuses on his
thoughts and his
experiences until his
return at home.
4. Holden is a particular boy because, he has his own head in the clouds, he
isn’t like the others.
Holden decides to say goodbye to his history teacher Spencer and to his
roommates Hackley and Stradlater, but he has a quarrel with the last one
because of a girl so he takes all his things and goes away.
His parents still don’t know he has been expelled, so he decides to go
around New York for night clubs, hotels ect, meeting people like Maurice (a
ponce), Sally (an old girlfriend), Carl (a friend who is very changed) ect..
Holden realizes that the other boys and girls are very stupid, he’s different,
so at the end he decides to go to Phoebe (his little sister) when his parents
aren’t at home. Phoebe is the most important point of reference for
Holden,even if she’s only a child.
Then he calls Antonioli (an old teacher) in order to be hosted, but he
shows a sexual attraction for the boy so Holden decides to run away and to
leave the city.
Before this he wants to say goodbye to Phoebe but she understands his
brother’s intentions and she tries to persuade him to stay.
The story ends with Holden who stays there looking his sister on a
carousel, smiling under the rain.
5. Reflections and Considerations
It isn’t important the plot, but the message,Holden’s
thoughts,his considerations.
Holden is a boy who doesn’t know his road and he
is different from the others, who don’t understand
him.
He thinks and talks about a lot of things, problems,
people, even if they aren’t characters of the book,
like for example his brother Allie, who is died.
6. Themes
This is a bildungsroman (novel of formation)
and the most important themes are :
the period of the adolescence
the freedom and the desire for independence
the repudiation of the society
the difficulty to adapt
the plans for the future, that is uncertain
the problem of our identity in the society.
7. Style
The style is very simple and informal.
There is the use of the everyday speech, used by
american young people.
There are words that the protagonist always repeats
(damn, goddam etc…)
The hand of the author is almost absent because it
seems that Holden writes.
8. Some curiosities: TITLE
The title in italian is “Il giovane
Holden”, because “The
Catcher in the Rye” is
untraslatable.
The choice of this title is very
important, because it’s the only
occupation that the protagonist
wants to do in his life.
We discover this at the end of
the 22nd chapter, when Holden
is talking with his sister
Phoebe.
He wants to do an impossible
thing,because in this society
he doesn’t know who wants to
be really.
9. Other curiosities..
There isn’t a movie about this book.
There are two songs inspired by this novel :
“Who wrote Holden Caufield” written by Green
Day and “Catcher in the rye” by Guns N’
Roses.
When John Lennon’s murderer was arrested,
he had in his hands this book.
