A book review of The Catcher in the Rye, written by Patrick Reed

The Catcher in the Rye, by J D Salinger, is narrated by a 17-year-old punk ass named Holden Caulfield. Holden is not specific about his location while he's telling the story, but it is apparent that he is undergoing treatment for some sort of mental breakdown. The events that he narrates take place shortly before Christmas the previous year.

Holden starts his story at Pencey Prep School in Agerstown, Pennsylvania. He has just been kicked out for not applying himself in his classes. If he was my kid, I would have to thoroughly beat his ass, but that is beside the point. In an attempt to deal with his failure, he leaves school a few days prior to the end of the term. Holden goes to New York City to take a vacation before returning to his parents' inevitable wrath. He spends the next few days in NYC, struggling with bouts of unexplained depression, impulsive spending, and physical exhaustion.

In my opinion, Salinger is trying to illustrate that Holden’s mental and physical breakdown is mainly due to his uncanny inability to score with the ladies, and the built up sexual frustration caused by that inability. This is that age-old theory that men simply need sex and if they do not get it on a regular basis, they will become ill and eventually die. It made sense in the 1950s and it makes sense now.

There are several points in the book where I really thought Holden was going to score, and inevitably live a healthy happy life, but he just couldn’t close the deal. On the train from Pency Prep to NYC, Holden meets the milfalicous mother of one of his former classmates. You can tell that she is interested in making a man out of him, but Holden isn’t reading the body language correctly. He unsuccessfully tries, on two separate occasions, to hook up with prostitutes. The most disturbing display of his lack of game is seen when he interacts with a young lady named Sally Hayes. Sally is one of those hot, but annoying chicks. Holden cannot just put on a happy face and play the game. He has to tell her exactly how annoyed he is with her. If he was a friend of mine, I would rake that neck of his. That chick was a sure thing.

At the end of the book, Holden makes a conscience decision to be accepting of the world (and people in general). He matures as a person and pledges to get well. I believe that this means he will lower his standards and focus more of his energy on fat chicks.

-Patrick Mitchell Reed III