The only novel by J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, written in 1951, is interesting at least because it was one of the most criticized and forbidden in the 20th century. And the name of the protagonist, a teenager, Holden Caulfield, became a symbol of non-conformism for the young generation of Americans of that time.
Summary
The narrative, conducted on behalf of Holden himself, begins with leaving school for academic failure. Fear of the reaction of his parents to not the first expulsion prompts him to stop in New York on his way home. There he purposelessly spends his free time, meets his girlfriend, makes acquaintance with a wide variety of people, ranging from two nuns to a prostitute.
Along the way, a teenager shares his memories of the past, family, thoughts about the structure of society. Through Caulfield’s thoughts described in a rather chaotic, and in some places crude language, an internal crisis is clearly visible that is brewing in the soul of a teenager. Unwillingness to grow up, to accept fake moral standards through, the discord with the outside world reaches a peak, and Holden decides to simply escape from problems by going to the West.
He nevertheless gets home to take money and say goodbye to his younger sister. But little Phoebe repeats her brother’s behavior, stating that she will drop out of school and go with him. For the first time, the main character is forced to show sanity and prudence. He renounces his maximalist denial of everything and persuades his sister to stay.
Despite world fame, the novel was never made into a movie, since D. Salinger refused to deal with cinema after a film released in 1949 based on one of his stories. Even Steven Spielberg refused.
The main theme of the original confession of the protagonist is the search for himself in a world alien to the teenager, no hidden motives, everything is simple, like the thoughts of a child. We are witnessing a transition from ostentatious cynicism, maximalism and self-centeredness to an understanding of the need for responsibility.
