The Catcher in the Rye

I was looking for an old edition of a book that isn't very easy to find anymore. I went into a specialized bookstore and found a used copy. Without thinking twice, I bought it, and as I was about to pay, I saw high up on a shelf a book I knew by name—a very well-known one that I had been wanting to read. The book is called The Catcher in the Rye, and the author is J.D. Salinger. He is a cult author. People call "cult authors" those who have a dedicated, specific audience following them, though that might not actually be the most accurate definition. The first time I read about cult authors was in a brief introduction to a short story by Edward Bellamy, where they considered Bellamy a cult author. But in Salinger's case, I don't know if he quite fits the idea of a cult author, because Salinger sold very well and remained near the top for many years. More than cult, he is almost a sort of bestseller—though I'm not sure if he fully reached that status. I think people classify him as a cult author because of the mysticism that formed around him. Let's just say that out of everything he wrote, he published very little—practically nothing, four works if I recall correctly. He is an interesting author. I'm not entirely sure, but as a major work, it was also banned while simultaneously being widely read and even studied. It seems he turned his short novel into a very interesting social critique.

The novel is around 180 pages long and is a fast read; it doesn't take much time to get through. It uses simple language but is very well put together. It attempts to mirror the language of a 16-year-old kid—in fact, the story revolves around a 16-year-old kid, and the kid himself tells the story. It's interesting because, besides being a social critique, it is—or at least I think it is—targeted at kids of that age. It's a shame I didn't read it earlier, because now, looking at it from a distance, I see how useful it would have been. In fact, I read that it greatly influenced generations of young people in the US. It has its critics for better and for worse, but what is certain is that it sells, and it also sparks controversy.

I don't intend to analyze the novel in detail, but of course, I lean toward a positive view of it. Although he is a rebellious youth, and despite always being around someone, he shows the loneliness he goes through. And even though it depicts many so-called "bad" things like drugs, alcohol, or prostitution, it carries a kind of indirect message through its constant allusions to reading. The young man is an avid reader who lists books—it's a covert invitation to knowledge. Not only that, but on the arts side, he lists movie theaters and films. Perhaps that was very common at the time, since it's set in 1951—at least that was the year he wrote it, and it's almost certainly set in that era (let's remember that the character's brother had been in the War, likely World War II), which suggests the setting belongs to that time. Perhaps going to the movies very often was normal then; it's an invitation to appreciate art, which is certainly not a bad thing.

You can also see that despite being a rebellious youth, in many passages he displays good attitudes and proper behavior—in some cases almost excessively, with the prostitutes, with the nuns, with the girls, and even in minor details that might easily be overlooked, like when he helped the girl with her roller skate. This sends a message, even if it might not seem like it. Of course, I'm viewing this through the lens of today's society rather than yesterday's, and perhaps what was considered normal back then differs from what we see today. It's a highly recommended book to read, very good. The version I bought is translated into Spanish, but into the Spanish of Spain, which differs a bit from the Spanish spoken here, though it was still very easy to read.

The author's intention becomes evident when he explains the reasoning behind the "catcher in the rye": there are many kids, thousands of kids, and they are alone. Even if he doesn't phrase it so plainly, but rather in a more elaborated way, that is the core idea, and I believe that is where the social critique lies.