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Book Review By Kyle Johnson
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye is a coming of age novel, written from the prospective of the protagonist and first person narrator, Holden Caulfield in the 1950s era. The book details the week long stay in New York of Holden in the form of a flashback. Salinger portrays through the story the theme that growing up can be a hard and difficult experience.

At the beginning of the novel Holden is currently residing in a sanitarium of some kind, at this point the reason for him being there is unclear. Holden attends Pencey Prep school and has apparently failed and suffered expulsion from many similar schools, he has just been expelled from Pencey as well. Upon hearing the news he pays a visit to Old Spencer an elderly teacher of Holden's. Holden is not being expelled because he does not have the capacity to learn or that he isn't smart enough for the prep school environment but that he isn't applying himself as Mr. Spencer puts it. Later on Holden's roommate Stradlater is going on a date with a girl from Holden's past, Jane Gallagher and Holden becomes infuriatingly jealous after a while. Stradlater asks him to write his homework for him and Holden reluctantly agrees. While Holden is writing the composition we learn a significant fact about Holden's family, Holden has a sister and two brothers, one of which has recently passed away, Holden still carries around his baseball glove, on which several poems are written. When Stradlater returns from his date Holden fears that the two have engaged in sexual intercourse and a skirmish soon occurs. Holden is knocked out by Stradlater and then decides to sleep in his friend Ackley. Holden realizes that his parents won't get the news of his expulsion for another week so he decides to spend some time in New York.

Holden rents a room in the Edmont Hotel and observes several odd occurrences in the rooms opposite his including a man dressing into women's clothing and a couple spitting water into each others mouths as an act of sex. Holden smokes in is room for a while then calls Faith Cavendish in an attempt to get her to have sex with him, she declines his offer and wants to meet him the very next day but Holden is too impatient and rejects her offer. After this disappointment Holden goes downstairs to The Lavender Room, a hotel bar and dances with three girls there, Holden believes he can obtain alcoholic beverages from this establishment due to is grey hair but the bartender refuses to serve him. Later on that night, an elevator operator Maurice offers to send a prostitute to Holden's room, he cautiously accepts and is greeted by an intimidating young girl, who reminds him of his own sister. Eventually, Holden decides not to have sex with her and settles for her just sitting on his lap. He pays her regardless but later on Maurice barges in demanding more money. Ultimately Holden is knocked out by him and paces around the room pretending he's been shot in his gut.

The next day, Holden calls up Sally Hays and they go to see a Broadway musical together, he is annoyed when she converses with a previous boyfriend, they later go to ice-skate but Holden annoys her to the point where she leaves. Holden meets a friend he looks up to at a bar and tries to get him to talk about his sex life but he is annoyed and leaves, Holden becomes quite drunk, Holden calls Sally Hays and discusses Christmas plans, and Holden then goes to visit his younger sister Phoebe in his house. Phoebe can tell he is intoxicated and gives him money to support himself, after being urged b his sister to tell his parents that he failed out of school, Holden departs.

A call is made to Mr. Antolini an influential teacher in Holden's life and he attempts to spend the night at his house until being awoken by what Holden describes as a flitty pass, Holden then rushes out and sleeps on a bench in Grand Central Station. When he wakes up he visits Phoebes school and leaves her a message that he is running away. Phoebe later greets him with the intention of going with him to wherever it is he is going but Holden declines. While she rides on a carousel, Holden begins crying and has a mental breakdown. At the very end Holden tells her that he is recovering and will soon be going back to school.


Plot & Themes
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 1930's-1950's
Kids growing up/acting up? Yes
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Age group of kid(s) in story: - high school
Something wrong upstairs/downstairs? - searching for identity/meaning
Parents/lack of parents problem?
Wild kid(s)? - runaway!
Loving/sexing? - girl chasing

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status:
Age: - a teen
Ethnicity/Nationality

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - a teen
Profession/status:
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - below average

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 4 ()
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast

Writing Style
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references only - descript of kissing - Boob talk!
Lot of foul language? Yes
Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
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