Re: Ages
Emily Friedman (bananafish_9@yahoo.com)
Sat, 24 Oct 1998 17:11:09 -0700 (PDT)
---TravROIS@aol.com wrote:
>
>
> It's funny some of you should connect being a teenager to
understanding
> Catcher better. Myself, as a teenager (14), feel that it's not like
that at
> all. I feel I can relate to Holden not because of the lingo or that
we are
> around the same age and going through similar things, but because of
the
> loneliness and detachment from others. Incidentally from my fellow
teenagers.
>
> Knowing the teenage mind, as I believe I do with disgusting
accuracy, I think
> most teenagers who read Catcher rarely do it on their own (rather
being
> introduced to it at school. A thought that makes me physically ill)
and
> they're more impressed with how Holden talks then with the intricacy
placed
> behind it as well as other Salinger works. Speaking of which, I
think that is
> the main reason more teenagers don't get into other Salinger works.
Sure a lot
> love Catcher in the Rye, but I don't feel like they truly, how shall
I say,
> 'get it'. So most are disappointed when they read any other
Salinger stories.
> For instance, I was chatting with this one girl (senior/4 years my
senior)
> and mentionted Salinger was one of my favorite authors. She read
Catcher
> Junior year (I'm a Sophmore) and immediately read Franny & Zooey
afterwards,
> and didn't like it at all. She wanted to know why Franny & Zooey
wasn't as
> 'smooth' as Catcher In the Rye. She said that she loved Catcher,
especially
> Holden because she felt that he was 'funny' and was disappointed
that Franny &
> Zooey wasn't anything like it. I didn't exactly know what to tell
her. I said
> that they're are published stories continuing with Holden and his
family that
> she may enjoy looking up at the library. (she wasn't interested in
that I
> guess) And included that I couldn't change Franny & Zooey and
wouldn't dare if
> I could.
>
> Not that my opinion or position should discourage anyone from loving
Salinger
> for whatever reasons they have. But my point being I think
'relating' to CITR
> is open for all ages (although that certainly has been stated,
hasn't it?) ..
> not more so for teenagers because they're the same age. Perhaps
because most
> of you all read it as a teenager and instantly felt a connection (as
I do)
> because sometimes it feels like Holden's audience is strictly
directed towards
> teenagers. Like he's talking to me, and no one else.
>
> Anyways I hope this has shed a bit of light on what a teenager (if I
qualify
> as one, that is) opinion about 'relating' to Salinger. Think that's
all I have
> to say. Although I'm wondering what you're all intial reaction to
Holden was
> when you first read Catcher.
>
> -Erinn (with 2 N's)
>
I'm a teenager myself and I understand what you are saying. I am a
senior in high school and my class read Catcher 2 years ago. I was
surprised that many of the students did not like Catcher. They usually
made up some lame excuse like the teacher ruined it for them. The
students that disliked the book stated that it was too much like A
Seperate Peace. I think that they didn't like it because it forced
them to see the many insecurities and confusion that people of that
age feel. The book just didn't fit into their world of football games
and school. I guess that they are all kind of like Stradlater(I think
that's him) I never was a smart ass kind of kid like Holden but I
remember a point in life when I felt that everything was phoney like
Holden did. A friend of mine would say that I sounded like Holden
Caulfield because I complained too much. I guess that is why I could
relate to him. Now that I'm geting older my feelings of him are
changing. Instead of relating to him I'm beginning too feel more
empathy towards him. When I first read Catcher Holden was older than
me but now that I'm older than him he just seems like a poor, lost
kid. I don't know, it's kind of hard to explain.
-Liz Friedman
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