R.I P. J.D. Salinger
Tags: Catcher In The Rye, J.D. Salinger, portrait of the day, sketch of the day
Ball point pen on the morning newsprint
Written by Guest blogger Alyssa Roibal
Holden Caulfield is a character most high school teens were relieved to meet. He was different from previous characters we read about like Elizabeth Bennet, who girls looked up to. Or Atticus Finch, the definition of a good father, and a man every boy hopes to become. Caulfield is a high school student (or expelled prep school student) we could relate to. We wanted to be that kids friend, or at least have a conversation with him, even if our parents might not have wanted us to. The Catcher in the Rye is rebellious, witty and filled cover to cover with teen angst. Most either love or despise it, and the same goes for its narrator and main character Holden Caulfield. He doesn’t tip toe around anything. He speaks his mind freely, starting with the opening line of the novel:
“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.”
J.D. Salinger, made a point to stay out of the public eye. His novels – by contrast, were in your face and charming. Students who previously wouldn’t be caught dead admitting to liking a book were participating in class discussions and commenting on funny things they had read the night before. Turning a non-reader into a book lover, even if it’s only of one book, may be J.D. Salinger’s greatest legacy. He was 91.
About todays guest blogger: Alyssa Roibal is a student at Rutgers University and writes for the on-line indie music magazine Praise For Wallflower
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