In the novel, “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, the main character Holden is a teenager who refuses to grow up because he is stuck in this childhood life. Throughout the novel, Holden struggles through teenage life because he cannot accept the responsibilities that are given with growing up. Holden is in this state because “he chooses to be trapped between the world of innocence of children and the complex world between adulthood.”
In the beginning of the novel I feel that Holden makes a comparison between what the reader wants to hear, and what he is going to tell you. Throughout the novel he really avoids mentioning his parents and also avoids telling the truth about anything too personal or boring. This is probably the reason why I thought the novel was such a hard reading, to me it was more a like a journal entry. When I was reading this, I kept on waiting for a turning point, climax, some action to take place, and it just never happened. These points in the story are what keep my easily distracted mind focused. The structural form I am familiar with just wasn’t their. I am not taking anything away from this book, thought it was a great novel. I think his signature style of writing is what makes him unique.
*I would like whoever comments my work or just reads it in general to pay attention to the first short paragraph and especially the words I put in parenthesis. Think of what this means.
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Ray, a couple of things: 1)Is the quote that you include at the end of your first paragraph from Salinger's novel? If so, it might help to contextualize it a bit to help the reader determine why you chose it and why it is important to your post. 2) You write, "In the beginning of the novel I feel that Holden makes a comparison between what the reader wants to hear, and what he is going to tell you," but then you leave off without pointing to that moment in the novel and without providing any explanation as to why you believe it to be so pivotal. 3) You voice some strong reactions to the style with which Salinger writes, and I would have liked for you to write more about the "points" in the novel where you experienced this distraction. You might also speculate towards whether you think Salinger considered how his way of writing might affect the reader; and if so, whether he wrote in this way intentionally.
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