The Catcher in the Rye is probably my favorite book and a book that I’ve read about five times before this week. With that in mind, I’ve never really considered reading this book while looking at the intertextual codes. For example, I’ve never thought about this book through the lens of the hermeneutic code. Throughout this blog I will be looking at the relationship between the narrator and the addressee, and how Holden Caulfield has an interesting relationship with the reader; as well as my personal relationship with the book. As a reader I was completely submissive, I was when I first read this book and I am now during the sixth time of reading this book, so it’s safe to say that out of all of the book we’ve read for this class this one was the easiest for me to be submissive towards.
From the beginning of the book we see how Holden Caulfield addresses the audience: “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.” (Salinger 1) From the start this had me and because of that I wanted to know more about Holden and what story he had to tell. That introductory sentence hit me like a neutron bomb, because of how much I related to it; and even now I relate to it. I wanted to know what story Holden had to tell me; even when he was telling me unimportant stuff I still found myself intrigued, and I even began questioning myself; like where the ducks go during the winter? I never thought about that question until this book.
As previously stated the thing that really stuck out to me was just how relatable Holden Caulfield is. Whenever he’s talking about things that make him depressed or when he talks about sex I just found myself completely understand what he’s saying. For example on page 196 the following quote from Holden just rings so true: “I didn’t eat the doughnuts. I couldn’t swallow them too well. The thing is, if you get very depressed about something, it’s hard as hell to swallow.” (196) I feel like this quote hits harder now than it did when I first read it, because it’s so true. Like I’ve felt depressed enough to not want to eat. There’s also another example on page 59: “I ended up not calling anybody.” This example, while subtle, showcases Holden’s lack of motivation because of his depression- because when you’re depressed you seriously lack the motivation to do the simplest of things; like calling someone. This is another thing that I just relate to so much, because I’ve felt that way before; and I think the Catcher in the Rye really allowed me for the first time to be OK with expressing my depression and negative emotions.
In class the other day The Back Left Group was having an interesting conversation about this book- and brought up two very interesting points that I honestly never thought of until this class. One of the points had to do with who exactly Holden is telling this story to, while another point had to do with how much of Holden’s story is true.
The first question is more or less answered by the end of the book, because it’s revealed that Holden is talking to a psychologist- or at least somebody in a ward because he had a mental breakdown, this is on page 213: “A lot of people, especially this one psychoanalyst guy they have here, keeps asking me if I’m going to apply myself when I go back to school next September.” (213) This is such a subtle quote, and one that you could possibly miss because of it’s subtly, but it reveals so much about Holden’s life. Basically by the end of the book Holden had a mental breakdown, or as he puts it “got sick,” and had to be administered into some kind of ward.
In terms of Holden lying to the audience, there are some parts that seem to suggest this. For example, on page 13 Holden talks about how he hated his old school because it was full of phonies: “I left Elkton Hill because I was surrounded by phonies.” (13) However, during the fourth page it’s revealed that Holden basically flunked out of Pency Prep, the school he is currently at- as he failed four out of his five classes. So while Holden suggests that he left Elkton Hills because it was full of phonies the reality of it could have been that he simply failed out like he did at Pency Prep. There’s another example of how Holden is a liar because on page 54 he straight up lies to this one woman: ‘Perhaps you know my son, then, Ernest Morrow? He goes to Pencey.’ ‘Yes, I do. He’s in my class.’ Her son was doubtless the biggest bastard that ever went to Pencey..’ ‘May I ask your name, dear?’ ‘Rudolf Schmidt,’ I told her. I didn’t feel like giving her my whole life history.’ (54)
During this exchange Holden lies about who he is and lies about knowing Ernest Morrow, so with that in mind, it’s pretty hard to tell what exactly is “truthful” in the Catcher in the Rye; while also presenting Holden as an untruthful narrator. With this in mind it is interesting to think about how much of this book ‘actually’ happened and how much did Holden make up or exaggerate.
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger can be described as a coming of age novel. Without reading the entire book, it is evident that the main character Holden is undergoing a journey to “find himself.” Holden seems to be particularly preoccupied by other people’s opinions of his age. He plays tug of war with himself. Part of him wants to be an adult and have the responsibilities, but part of him is still immature and childish, which he acknowledges. “And yet I still act sometimes like I was only twelve. Everybody says that especially my father. It’s partly true, too, but it isn’t all true” (12). In the beginning of the book Holden is very conscious of how he acts and seems to take pride in that fact. As the story progresses, people’s perception of his age really start to get to him. He wants everyone to view him as the “mature” person he believes he is.
The Catcher in the Rye
r. I project that Jane will become an important character in novel later on because of the way Holden talks about her. Holden and Jane apparently grew up together. Holden repeatedly talks about when they used to play chess and how she used to keep all her kings in the back row. Holden even tells his roommate to ask Jane is she still did this, and when he comes back from his date with her, Holden asks, “Did you ask her if she still keeps all her kings in the back row?” (55) Of course his roommate, Stradlater, did not ask this strange question to his date.
professional secret, buddy” (56). Holden attempts to fight his roommate, but Stradlater ends up victorious, leaving Holden’s face bloody and bruised. When Holden goes to the bathroom to clean himself up, he looks in the mirror: “It partly scared me and it partly fascinated me. All that blood and all sort of made me look tough” (59). I think this, too, could lead to something significant later on in the book. Holden being so fascinated with the blood on his face is a bit strange. He even goes right on into his other roommate’s bedroom, Ackley, without even washing the blood off his face. I am interested in testing my projections as I read further through the novel to see if the girl, Jane, and blood are significant aspects in the later chapters. 
How Writers Read 