I hated Catcher in the Rye immensely until I put the book down. It was bizarre, given I had been hating on Holden and the book for the past month, but as soon as I finished I felt like something was missing. The book was brilliantly written and I missed Holden's voice which had been so consistent that I could easily imitate it. I missed Holden himself because I had gotten to know Holden. I missed being able to read and relate to him. Quite frankly, I missed the book.
The writing style blew me away. I have read many books on writing to the point where I cannot read some books because of the writing. Some authors have great stories but the writing stinks. This story was quite the opposite, I hated the story (at first), adored the writing. J. D. Salinger uses a consistent writing style, using words and phrases multiple times throughout the story. Some examples, all which can be found on page 77 (or Chapter 11, paragraphs 2-5 if in a different book) include words like “anyway,” “phony,” “sort of,” “and all,” “I mean,” “old,” and “it killed me.” These give Holden a voice and it made Holden, as a character, much more real. What really got me was the author did not just use words to make it sound like Holden was talking, but the words he used also had meaning and purpose. “It killed me” is a perfect example; showing how much Allie's death affects Holden. Anytime Holden feels a strong emotion towards someone he cares about he says, “it killed me” because he associates strong emotion with the death of Allie. Uses of the word, “phony,” and, “depressed,” show how badly Holden wants to be believed; constantly emphasizing how Holden feels and why he feels it. This book style and character development was not like others I had read. Books like The Hunger Games, although “best selling”, never let me understand their characters. I did not always understand why a character broke down or why they did what they did. However, in Catcher in the Rye, through the use of this writing style, I got to know and understand Holden Caulfield.
I started off reading this book not knowing who Holden was, but by the end I could tell you why Holden did anything. I understand his trauma, why he cannot move forward, and why he is stuck. I understand why Allie's death has made Holden want to protect Phoebe. I understand him smoking and drinking to try and get unstuck by acting like an adult. It was not because the author told us. I know because of the way Holden describes Allie, “You’d have liked him. He was two years younger than me, but he was about fifty times as intelligent.” Anytime Holden tells us we would like a person, know they mean a lot to him. I can also draw parallels in the way Holden describes Allie and Phoebe. When Holden tells us about Phoebe he says “You never saw a kid so pretty and smart in your whole life. She’s really smart,” and later he says, “You’d like her. I mean if you tell old Phoebe something, she knows exactly what the hell you’re talking about.” He cares for Phoebe just as he does Allie which pays a huge part into why he wants to be a “catcher in the rye.” He sees Allie and Phoebe as nearly the same and he does not want to lose Phoebe too. That is one of the reasons he does things with Phoebe because he wished he did them with Allie. As an older sister, I could really relate to this.
Holden is an extremely relatable character. His pessimistic outlook on society is something I think every teenager experiences at some point or another, but it is not only that. Relating to him can be as complex as feeling as though people do not notice when I do something right, as Holden says “Sometimes I act a lot older than I really am- I really do- but people never notice it. People never notice anything.” Then it can be simplistic, like when Holden says, “I’m a very light eater. I really am. That’s why I’m so damn skinny. I was supposed to be on this diet where you eat lots of starches and crap to gain weight and all, but I didn’t ever do it.” I understand that; I have been told anytime I have gone to a doctor's office that I need to eat more. Not because I do not eat enough but I simply do not get hungry. Little things like not knowing where to throw a snowball, being upset about Mercutio's death, enjoying writing, punching things in anger, and daydreaming about being heroic are all things I can relate to. These little things make Holden real. Real and consistent. Right after he says he does not eat a lot he says “I generally just eat a swiss cheese sandwich and a malted milk,” which seems completely unnecessary. Then, a little more than twenty pages later, he goes and gets a swiss cheese sandwich and a malted milk. He gets depressed randomly and as much as I hate to admit it, I understand that. Holden, to me, is a very, very real character.
I think people should read this book, especially teens. Anyone should have the opportunity to get to know Holden Caulfield because it gives insight to the effects of trauma. I also think by identifying what we relate to with Holden we get to know ourselves better. Many teens, myself included, do not know who we are, but I think this book helps us to understand ourselves and our peers better. That is why I like this book. That is why, truthfully, I miss it.