Dec 22, 2004 08:09 PM
3278 Views
(Updated Dec 22, 2004 08:09 PM)
And so is everyone else!!
Reading this book was like looking at the world with no prejudices and in a totally straightforward manner. It was a revelation to me what now seems to be obvious. Gosh!! Almost the whole damn world is phony!!
The book which supposedly brought in the whole hippy culture of the sixties and the seventies surely has the hippy smell in it. The rebel is explained here. Why the rebels exist. What is going through his mind? All is here.
The book is about a young man (or a boy, if you wish) Holden Caulfield. The book starts in his school, which is a residential one. The surroundings, the people and the atmosphere is described in the book. But most importantly, the state of him mind is shown. The thoughts and feelings of the protagonist, about each and every situation are given. And in each thought, he looks at the world in a simplistic manner and the analysis of the person is that the person is a phony! And to a normal passer by, who is not aware of his thoughts will think as the actions totally normal.
Anyway, Holden is very unhappy in the school and has flunked all the examinations except one. He is about to be thrown out of the school just as he has been thrown out of numerous schools. He is totally unhappy and dreads the prospect of returning to home, and all the people again shouting at him for flunking. He runs away.
Basically the whole book is his experiences he has while he is on the run. He starts meeting people immediately, in the train, restaurant and all the places he goes. Salinger has brilliantly brought out the psyche of the people, and his writings I feel are as relevant now as they were then. Holden watches people and sees that how people behave, and how this behavior is not the normal behavior but the behavior that other people expect. This is one of the reasons that make them a phony, as they are behaving not naturally. This observation is repeatedly brought out and is especially apparent when he meets the girls in the club, and how their reactions change when certain things are revealed.
But my favorite part is when he goes and meets his little sister, Phoebe. He needs money and she so selflessly and unselfishly gives all the money that she had been saving without any hesitation. She or rather innocence is shown as the real hero. Because all the people except her are shown to be acting as not what they are. This behavior is not shown by Phoebe as she is still innocent.
Later he realizes his own phoniness. This makes him think and reanalyze the reasons for his running away.
Well this is my all time favorite book. I know people who live their lives in accordance with this book as if it is a religion.
Anyway I think I have painted a somber picture of the book, which is not totally true. There are 2 ways to read the book. Either you take it seriously or you don’t. If one doesn’t take is seriously then the book is actually very funny. And most first time readers will not take it seriously. But the second read (if seriously done) will reveal the other side of the book.
My advice is to run and grab a copy. And Read. A slim book, about 250 pages, worth gold.
