Controversial Classics: The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

To me, The Catcher in the Rye would be categorized as the most quintessential coming-of-age novel that all teenagers, especially those who feel resentful and lost, should read to recollect some clarity in life. The story is painful about the truths of growing up, and mainly gets its unique ability to connect with the minds of angsty teenagers through the narrator's voice: Holden Caulfield. Set in a bustling New York City, with a sixteen-year-old boy as the narrator, the narration is full of resentment and angst and unreliability, which speaks to many teenagers as they are in the awkward phase of growing into an adult.

For me, The Catcher in the Rye was able to put into words the feelings and thoughts I had at age thirteen that I could not synthesize at the time. I had a tornado of emotions brewing within me, with no outlet and no explanations as to why I was feeling such ways or what exact emotions I was feeling. Holden Caulfield, with his bitter resentment, hatred for fakery, and refusal to integrate into society, was more or less a relatable figure to me. Certainly, a "weak" and negative character was not usually one to narrate a story, especially considering the hero novels I enjoyed at the time. Reading the narration and thoughts of Holden Caulfield greatly helped me compartmentalize my own feelings as well as make me feel understood, not alone, and not confusing.

Despite this, the book has faced controversy over the years for its obscene language, depictions of violence, a protagonist who is a "bad influence", prostitution, alcoholism, and more. Furthermore, its alleged connection to the motive in the situation of John Lennon's murder does not help its case. In many areas of the United States, the novel is banned entirely.

But my mission is to take a deeper, philosophical dive into books like these; books that are banned for representing the gritty reality. The central literary themes in the novel circle around alienation, loss of innocence, adolesence, existentialism, and the fakery of the adult world. Philosophically, the novel exemplifies many existential ideals. For example, the largest piece of absurdist/existentialist symbolism in the novel is Holden's desire to be "the catcher in the rye", as per the novel's namesake. This represents Holden's desire to protect the innocence of adolesence, before people are lost to adult society and fakery. This particularly ties into his love for his sister, the only thing in the world that he loves purely and truly. This goal of his, to become the catcher in the rye, depicts the way in which Holden attemps to find meaning and purpose in a life that he deems as inherently meaningless. Holden's obsession with "phoniness" and deep rooted hatred for fake societies also reflects a form of existentialism. This parallels existentialist beliefs of not living an inauthentic life.

Another form of philosophy prevalent in the novel is the question of human nature, exemplified by the character of Holden Caulfield and his narrations, which often consist of cynical observations of society. Holden's belief is not so different from that of Rosseau's, which indicate that humans are born naturally good and pure, but are corrupted by what society demands of them. His fantasy of saving children from the corruption that is adulthood both represents this philosophical belief, as well as painting himself as a Messiah-like religious figure. He believes that humans are a pure state, who inevitably get corrupted by the corrupt state of adulthood and adult society. He believes himself to be the Messiah that could preserve purity in the corrupted world.