Noor Rafat's Reviews > The Catcher in the Rye

I was told this book would have a polarizing effect and now that I've read it I can see how.
it's a simple book really about 2 days in the life of a very confused teenage boy with a peculiar perspective on this world. I can understand how Holden, the main character, feels but I can't relate to him. Relating to this state of mind simply negates other possibilities and ensnares the individual in a pitiful loop of despair and I refuse that.
I also think he was too self absorbed and the ending proves that point in a way.
Some parts were really good. I'll neglect mentioning them to avoid spoiling it for someone who might read the review, but they were good enough to make this worth the read actually.
The part that really hit me was when he wanted to run away with that girl and do all those things he longed for because if he doesn't do that now, one day he'll grow up and no longer want the same things anymore and he'll be too busy with his adult life. I always find myself thinking about that.
Also the part about catching kids in the rye. It was metaphorical and beautiful in a way.
The conversation he had with the professor in the end was memorable as well.
Some quotes provided some good insight as well, here's one:
"The mark of the immature man is he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one."
So basically, I don't love it but I don't hate it either. I just understand it.