Born in Manhattan in 1919, J.D. Salinger grew up in an upper class neighborhood in New York City. Bouncing around from various prep schools, failing out of most of them, Salinger finally settled down at Valley Forge Military Academy. There he turned his act around and was not only involved in a number of clubs and activities, but was also very successful. Upon graduating, Salinger went on to fight in World War II. While a soldier, he befriended Ernest Hemingway, which helped to launch his writing career.

Salinger's most famous work, The Catcher in the Rye, ironically is autobiographical in nature. A major similarity between Salinger and his character is their " inability to cope with situations they do not complete

In New York, Holden feels very lonely and is constantly reminded of the world’s vulgarity and impiety. He then decides to sneak back home to see his younger sister Phoebe whom he feels is the only one that really understands him. He borrows money from her and then decides to stay with his former English teacher, Mr. Antolini. When Holden feels Mr. Antolini to be making sexual advances toward him, he leaves very quickly and spends the rest of the night on a bench in Grand Central Station.

Throughout this novel, Holden experiences some very trying times. Perhaps Holden has a better understanding of the world than any of us, or perhaps he is just a madman. Whatever the case be, Holden is an easy character to relate to. Sometimes we all stop and wonder why people act so barbaric, and why the world is full of so much brutality. The question has been present since before Holden’s time, and still will be long into the future. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Catcher in the Rye. Its simplicity is only a mirage, for when given a closer look, a whole new meaning of life can be found.

If I were to meet J.D. Salinger today, I have a few questions that I would be sure to ask him. One, I could not help but notice, that after failing out of several schools, he suddenly, not only begins passing his classes, but he does so so very successfully. What changed his mind and made him turn his life around, join activities, and get involved. Also, I wonder why Salinger hasn’t written anything since The Catcher in the Rye. Such a popular novel, I would think his writing career was at the top, but ironically, he is never heard from again. Perhaps some of these questions can be answered when comparing Salinger’s life with that of his character’s.

The setting of The Catcher in the Rye is set among downtown New York City in the 1950’s, though this time period has no relevance to the story line. One thing that has made this book such a continuing success, is the fact that it could be set in any time period and still contain all of the same meaning. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist and narrator, is a sixteen year-old junior at Pencey Prep. When we first meet Holden, he says, “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” (Salinger 3). This gives us our first clue of Holden’s cynical nature and gives us a small glimpse into his mind. Ackley is Holden's next door neighbor in the dorm. Holden's handsome, self-assured roommate, Stradlater, is obsessed with himself and assumes that everyone else is obsessed with him as well. Jane Gallanger is Holden's former girlfriend who is now dating Stradlater. Holden's ten year-old sister Phoebe, has the innocence that Holden wishes the rest of the world has. Holden feels that he can really talk to Phoebe and she listens and understands. Perhaps this is why they get along so well. Allie is Holden's younger brother. Although, he never physically appears in the novel for he died a few years prior. This event should be noted when analyzing Holden’s psychological state. A writer for Hollywood, Holden thinks that his older brother, D.B., is a phony because he accepts big paychecks for writhing movies. Holden makes clear that he believes movies to be the phoniest of all phonies. Another of Holden's old girlfriends, Sally Hayes, is a prime example of the hypocrisy Holden sees in the world. Carl Luce is an older Columbia student whom Holden knew when he attended the Whooton School.

Some topics in this essay:
Park South, Central Station, Ed Banky’s, Holden Caulfield, Catcher Rye’s, School Luce, Catcher Rye, Carl Luce, JD Salinger, Stradlater Holden’s, holden feels, catcher rye, holden decides, sister phoebe, holden caulfield, throughout novel, holden tells, roommate stradlater, couldn’t it” salinger, rest home, carl luce, english teacher antolini, former english teacher,