The book, The Catcher in the Rye, to me wasn’t that good of a book. I felt like all Holden did was explain and show how depressed he was. I think the biggest part of his depressed state was not only that Allie died, but so did his childhood. Through out the book you can tell his desperate acts of childhood. But as the book went on in Holden’s life it reveals that he actually started to get better and realized everyone has to grow up. Despite the fact that in the end Holden gets better, the book it self to me was boring. If I wanted to see or hear about depressed people I can just walk around in Groves. So then here are some questions I was wondering.
How did you feel about the book? Good or Bad?
Did you think the book was interesting or boring? Why?
9 comments:
Well Dan, you bring up some interesting points...
I feel almost like I have to like the book because it is an American classic. At first I didnt find the book all that great and that the writing was a little high school-ish. As the story got deeper, and the characters were developed I began to like it more. Sure I did get really annoyed when he would say that everything was depressing but I totally understood. Really all teenagers are this way, Holden was just taking it to the extream. We all have falling outs with people and school and start to worry about the future and things.
Thats all...
~Alyssa
I actually thought that this was one of the best books I have ever read. It may be written like high school writing, but that’s the thing about it. You can actually understand what the author is really saying. I do sometimes get really exasperated at Holden. You just want to tell him to grow up and stop being so…annoying. What I really like about the book and about Holden is that J.D. Salinger was continuous with Holden’s personality. There are things to remember him by, like his sayings. Overall I think that this was the best book that we’ve read so far this year.
-Maggie
I thought that there were pros and cons to this book. I admit that Holden can get really annoying when he goes into some stupid details that we don't even care about and when he calls everything depressing and everyone phonies. He makes the world look like a terrible place and he can be really creepy sometimes. Eventhough this story can be a little boring the author allows readers to look into what happens to a little kid when someone really close to him dies. Holden is the way he is because of allie's death. He thinks everything is depressing and all because he is depressed himself.
Neha
I kind of liked the book compared to the other ones we have read this year. I thought it was an easier book to understand because of the fact it seemed like high school writing. To me that is easier to comprehend without thinking too much about it.
I also agree with Alyssa that it was annoying when he kept saying everything was depressing. But that is how some teenagers are.
Brit
I didn't really like Holden as a character because of how whiny and hypocritical he was. However, I also didn't really like the book because it didn't really have an interesting plot. All that happened was that he ran away from school and went to live in a hotel before his parents found out that he had been expelled. The only thing I liked about the book was the cliff metaphor. When we talked about it in class, the whole book kind of clicked in my brain and I understood it. It made me understand why Holden acted the way he did.
Personally, I think that the Catcher in the Rye is a good book. I like how it had layers to it so it had more depth. Another reason why Catcher was a good book is that it relates to everyone in some way. Everyone has to grow up and lose their childhood and that is what most of what thy book was about. Catcher was also an easy read, you could follow it and understand it and many of its themes and symbols were easy to pull out or find. Overall I think that this book was a great book that took an average teenager and made his life a lot more complex and extreme.
Siobhan
I agree with Maggie, I thought this was a great book. Not only was it actually easy to understand but I think the reason that it was so interesting is because it was like a reality T.V. show in that it could be totally random but kept you hooked. I also really liked the symbolism because it was easy to figure out what everything meant and apply it to the reading. Also, one of the overall morals that I found was to just live life simply and that gave the book a really relaxed feel.
To me, the book was O.K. I think that I have to agree with Alyssa and Siobhan that the most boring parts were when he only talked about when he was totally depressed. However, most teenagers can relate. There are times where they just feel completely bummed out like the world is aganist them.
When Holden wasn't talking about how badly he felt for himself, the book was somewhat interesting. When he talks about his sister and when he is having a good time. On the other hand, I feel that we have read better books this year.
Nicole
Your points on why you dont like the book are very true but i kind of did like the book. I mean it wasn't the best book but i am glad it was part of the books we read this year. It showed the developement through time of a teenage kid who had to coupe with the death of his brother. It had some boring parts but also some really fun and interesting parts too.
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