It was on this day in 1951 that the novel Catcher in the Rye was published. The reclusive J. D. Salinger had been working on the book for 10 years. Salinger was skeptical about the reception or the book, but it was an immediate success on the New York Times Bestseller list. Through the years Catcher in the Rye has been both heavily taught and at the same time banned in schools. Holden Caulfield is fed up with the phonies that surround them; he is only interested in the truth; that, and in saving the innocent children. Caulfield imagines himself as keeper of the children, or the Catcher in the Rye: I keep picturing all of these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids and nobodys around--nobody big, I mean--except me. And Im standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff--I mean, if theyre running and they dont look where theyre going I have to come out somewhere and catch them. Thats all I do all day. Id just be the catcher in the rye and all. Chap. 22, p. 173) Salinger, J. D. (1951). The Catcher in the Rye. A Bantam Book. New York.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 09:50:28 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015