The Gist:
Holden Caulfield is a sixteen-year-old boy who was just kicked out of yet another boarding school, for failing four classes and not applying himself. Deciding he can’t stand to stay at Pencey Prep until the end of the term on Wednesday, Holden leaves the school to roam around New York City for three days. During those three days he crashes around New York City, causing his own inner turmoil, and forcing himself to do more soul searching and serious thinking than partying in the Big Apple.
What We Think:
What We Think:
Reviewed by Living Destiny
Number of Pages: 214
This book was one of those read-in-class-but-not-really-during-class-or-as-a-class novels that we all get saddled with at some point each year. What I’d heard about it was mostly neutral comments from our class. Some people said their parents loved it, some said their parents hated it, everyone said they’d never read it before, and our teacher didn’t really give her opinion. So after reading the first couple of chapters as a class, we were set loose on the world of Holden Caulfield. I would rather have left it at those first few chapters.
First, characters. Holden Caulfield was an awful main character. He always complained about how people were phony and fake, and he made all these snide comments about life and society. But in reality, he was a huge phony. He lied all the time, mostly about his name and his age. Also, he would comment on how he hated some aspect of life, like how rich people always seemed snobby, but he was actually rich himself. His hypocrisy was incredibly irritating, and how I managed to make it through the entire book without screaming is a wonder. Then there was the fact that he was a huge scaredy-cat, although he pretended to just be aloof. Throughout the entire book, he talked about his old friend Jane Gallagher. She comes back into his world picture in the beginning of the book, while he’s still at Pencey Prep, and while he looks back at their time spent together fondly, he never talks to her. He considers calling her at least five times, but every time he doesn’t because “you have to be in the mood for those things”. That’s ridiculous, and is just an excuse to not call her because he’s afraid that she’s changed since the last time her saw her. He’s afraid of people changing and betraying him, or becoming fake. He just needs to accept that everyone changes, but that doesn’t mean they won’t still like you. Of course he never sees this, but continues to not call Jane and only like little kids, because they’re still innocent and perfect. Holden was the only character that was in the whole story, which bothered me. I know it’s a story told from his memory, but still. He’s the only consistent character, and smaller, static characters circle around him during the entire book. I only got to know one person throughout the whole book, and since I really didn’t like that one person at all, the book wasn’t exactly enjoyable.
Next, plot. I was bored to the point that I wanted to throw the book against the wall. I usually read any assigned chapters in books a day or two before they’re due, but with this book, I put it all off until the very latest I possible could. Which was usually around nine or ten the night before it was due. The only thing that kept me reading was the knowledge that it was a graded assignment. And even knowing that, I read grudgingly. The first chapters were the most interesting, but after he left Pencey Prep to go on a little jaunt around New York City, it got horribly dull. It seemed like he really only did three different things: thought about calling Jane, got drunk, and reflected on his younger brother Allie’s death. And he did this for 214 pages. You can just imagine how repetitive it got after a while. Lucky for you, you only have to imagine, not read all 214 tortuous pages. Also, in the very first page of the book, it tells you where he ends up. It’s like, ‘Hi I’m Holden Caulfield, and I’m in a mental hospital, so now I’m going to tell you part of the glorious story that is how I came to be here.’ So now I know the ending, and there’s absolutely no suspense as to what will happen to Holden, because I know where he ultimately ends up. And it actually was only part of the story. He tells up to a point, and then says he’s not going to tell the rest because he doesn’t “feel like it”. I bet the parts he didn’t tell would have been more interesting than the parts he did tell.
This book was on the banned books list for a long time. It was only recently taken off the list, and teaching it in schools still causing controversy in some places. Hearing this before reading it, I admit I got excited. Reading a book that was illegal for however many years? Well, it’s got to be on the banned books list for some reason, and it’s probably a super intense book! Don’t get your hopes up, because I sincerely wish mine hadn’t skyrocketed. Huge let down here. I’m still not sure why it was on that silly list. I’ve heard it was because of language, but the language really isn’t that bad. There are swears, but nothing you wouldn’t hear in any high school in the country. Although I suppose it was extreme for the 40’s. My dad said it was because it incurred teenage rebellion. Hello? Rock music did the same thing in the 50’s and 60’s, but that wasn’t banned now was it? Lame!
Overall, this book was just not enjoyable. I dreaded reading it, and it sat in my locker like some evil presence, always threatening my good mood with its foul chapters. My teacher told us that this book was either one that you loved or you hated, and I hated this book so very much. It wasn’t worth reading, and the essay I’m creating from this review is not going to be worth the time it takes to cut out my witty thoughts and add in more conforming, school-worthy lines. Ick.
Real Teen Rating~ D-: If you have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to read…
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