The Catcher in the Rye Blog 1

The Catcher in the Rye reveals a lot about its author J.D. Salinger.  Many of the events in this book actually happened to Salinger when he was growing up, and they left a large impact on him.  “Salinger grew up in a fashionable neighborhood in Manhattan and spent his youth being shuttled between various prep schools before his parents finally settled on the Valley Forge Military Academy in 1934. He graduated from Valley Forge in 1936 and attended a number of colleges, including Columbia University, but did not graduate from any of them” (Sparknotes 1).  So essentially, The Catcher in the Rye is a retelling of much of his own story.  More than likely, Salinger had an attitude of obsession with sex and profane language.  This may not be the best habits to have, but he certainly included this in the novel.  Salinger was not afraid to write his opinions on paper, which bought him many enemies in critics.  Finally as an author he was fed up with the chastising and disappeared from the public eye. “A lot of mystery and controversy surrounds J.D. Salinger. It seems he stopped publishing his work just when he was peaking as an author, and since then has been essentially a social recluse, granting no interviews and making no public appearances whatsoever. Some people think he's sort of a Holden Caulfield himself. The Catcher in the Rye ended up as an emblem of counterculture in the 1950s and 60s – a symbol of alienation and isolation for the disillusioned and restless post-war generation. Salinger's own isolation from society only amplifies the mystery and allure of this important book.” (Shmoop 1).  Though Salinger remains a mystery, his ideas expressed in The Catcher in the Rye have influenced hundreds of readers.  His perspective in this book is told from Holden Caulfield in the first person.  He is telling the story of Holden’s past and reveals many of the ideas and thoughts that determined his very peculiar chose of actions. 

"The Catcher in the Rye." Shmoop. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Aug. 2012. http://www.shmoop.com/catcher-in-the-rye/.

"The Catcher in the Rye." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 13 Aug. 2012. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/catcher/context.html.

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and, 1991. Print.