LOGIN | NEU REGISTRIEREN

Schule > Englisch > Book report - The Catcher in the Rye – J. D. Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye – J. D. Salinger

Biography of J.D. Salinger
Jerome David Salinger was born in New York City on the first day of January in 1919. A short time he was at NYU and Columbia University, then Salinger devoted himself entirely to writing, and by 1940 he had published several short stories in periodicals. After returning from service in the U.S. Army in 1946 Salinger resumed his writing career for The New Yorker magazine. Salinger published thirty-five short stories in various publications like in the Saturday Evening Post, Story, Colliers and The New Yorker. His most notable stories are “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” (1948) and “For Esmé With Love and Squalor” (1950). He also wrote “The Sandwich Has No Mayonnaise” and “I’m Crazy” from which he took the characteristics for his only novel “The Catcher in the Rye” (1951). This book was followed from many other literary works like “Nine Stories” (1953), “Franny and Zooey” (1961), “Raise the High Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour” (1963). All his stories deal with the rebellious deportment of the youth and their personal problems. The only detail about his privacy we know is that he lives in Cornish, New Hempshire. Other details about his life are notoriously vague because of his reclusive nature, which has made him the subject of a great deal of speculation. Some letters written by Salinger to Joyce Maynard, an 18 year old girl with whom he had an affaire were sold by auction for $156,000.
Summary
The story about Holden Caulfield a 16-year old prep school student is set in the early 1950’s.
Holden Caulfield the narrator and the main character of the story has a younger sister, Phoebe; an older brother, D.B. who is a screenplay writer in Hollywood; and a younger brother, Allie who died years ago of leukaemia.
He was expelled from school two weeks before Christmas and this was the 5th time he flunked out of school. Several days before he's expected home for Christmas vacations, he runs away planning to spend some time on his own in New York City, where his family lives.
Though Holden is friendly with many people at school, and though he has several friends in New York, he is constantly lonesome.
Holden feels very close to his ten year old sister Phoebe, but he can't call her for fear of letting his parents know he failed school again. Nevertheless he decides to sneak into his home to see his sister. But she doesn’t really care about his problems. That way Holden thinks that the only solution for his overwhelming problem is to run away and set up a new identity as a deaf-mute who will not need to communicate any more. Later on, when he meets his sister again, he tells her about his new plan. But what a surprise, she wants to join him! At that point he realizes that he’s really loved from his sister so much and he promises to stay and come home again.
Holden ends his story here. He doesn’t tell what happened next and how he came into the care of a psychoanalyst. Holden isn't sure whether he'll be able to handle things better when he leaves this institution and he is sorry that he told his story at all.
The book was advised to me and I am satisfied with this choosing. It is well written and of cause an interesting story about the identification process of the youth. The only thing I am surprised of is the large number of used invectives.
Carolina Schiefer

Download: PDF, DOC