Re: First Catcher memories?
BuddyGIass@aol.com
Tue, 25 Nov 1997 01:18:14 -0500 (EST)
The main thought I had after reading Catcher when I was 11 was "Hey, I'm not
crazy. Other people think like this." That's pretty good. It was the first
thing I read that made me feel that way. Then when I found Catch-22 and
Thoreau I realized I wasn't lonely.
That’s why, I think, that Catcher is so popular among people about Jr. High
age. Since there are more Stradler’s and Ackley’s and people trying to be
Stradler’s in the world than Holden’s. So there is a small percentage of
kids in every school thinking, (Dylan’s words, not mine) "Christ do I gotta
be like that Ain't there no one here that knows where I'm at. Ain't there no
one here that knows how I feel Good God Almighty THAT STUFF AINT REAL". And a
lot of times Catcher in the Rye is the first thing that tells them that you
don’t have to be like that, that there are other people who have been where
you are at. It’s a shame that a lot of kids have to wait to hear that from
Salinger, but better late than never.
But, it’s not a kid’s book. I don’t think that Salinger realized how strongly
out-cast kids would relate to it. I would guess that it’s part of the reason
he’s a recluse now.
I’ve read it at least once a year. It changes with you, like the museum.