Issues in the Catcher in the Rye

         I am reading The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, and I find that it's taking me a long time to read it. I really like the book, and I find it very fascinating. One reason for this is I find myself relating to how Holden feels. I like how he points out odd observations about the world and the problems in it, and mostly I agree with what he has to say. Also,  I really like the way Salinger chose to write this book. I can tell that it's from the point-of-view of a teenage boy from the Fifties, from the language Holden uses and what he does. The issues are real, like fitting in, peer pressure, and finding your place. Most of all, I enjoy reading this book because I really like Holden as a character. He's funny, and he's a unique character. I find myself thinking about his situations even when I'm not reading, and I don't do that for a lot of books. The Catcher in the Rye is very realistic and well-written.
          
        There are many issues in The Catcher in the Rye. The issue that I think is the biggest so far is that  Holden does not fit in most places he goes. At his old boarding school, Holden struggled with finding friends. No one took the time to listen to him. Holden is really bright, and he's a great writer, but at school he can't really express it. An example of this is when he writes his roommate's, Stradlater's, paper. He writes about a baseball glove that his younger brother, who died, used. He makes it very descriptive, and you can really envision it. But Stradlater doesn't care about how well-written it is and the amount of time Holden spent on it. All Stradlater thinks is that the paper is bad because it didn't fully fulfill the assignment. Holden is very creative, but at his old school he found it very hard to express it. 
          
         Holden's always trying to be someone he's not. Like when he's on the train going home after he was kicked out of school, he tells his classmate's mother that he meets that he is another boy. He doesn't give his real name, and he makes up a fake story about why he is leaving school early before winter break started. I think Holden did this because he was ashamed by who he was, how he was kicked out, and he didn't feel like having more people know about it.
             
         The Catcher in the Rye is a great book, and I'm glad I'm reading it. I think that it's nicely written and that Holden is a fun character to read about. One issue in The Catcher in the Rye is fitting in, and I think that most of us will deal with that problem at some point in our lives. That's another reason I like reading this book. It deals with real situations that people go through. 
          
               

What Really Hard Things are Happening in the Catcher in the Rye?

What really hard things are happening in the text? 


          I am currently reading the book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Holden has been kicked out of boarding school and I am at the part where he is talking to his roommates and they are ignoring him. I think people's lack of listening to others is a really hard thing going on in the book, and also in the world.
        
           First of all, when Holden is talking to the boy whose room is next to his, Ackley, he has trouble communicating with him. Ackley doesn't listen to Holden when he says to get out, and he touches everything he wants to in the room. Ackley keeps bringing up that he is eighteen and an adult, while Holden is just sixteen. This also has to do with when Holden is talking to his roommate Stradlater, who is going on a date. Holden knows the girl Stradlater's going with, and he tells Stradlater about all the experiences he had with her the previous summer. Stradlater doesn't care. All he's interested in is borrowing Holden's jacket and having him write his English paper. Both these guys are ignoring Holden, and he doesn't get a chance to get his voice across.
         
           Ackley and Stradlater's behavior towards Holden is similar to Holden's behavior towards Mr. Spencer, at the beginning of the book. Like I talked about in my last blog post, Holden is getting advice from Mr. Spencer about how to do better in life now that he flunked out of school. Instead of learning from his strong words, Holden just dismisses it and doesn't keep in mind what Mr. Spencer is saying. Holden is ignoring the voice of his teacher, who is trying to be helpful.
         
           I think that the lack of attention being given to Holden and Mr. Spencer is relevant to the world, and it's a really hard thing to get over. For example, in an oppressive government often times a lot of the people's voices, opinions, and point of views are being forgotten and not heard. It's not fair that Ackley and Stradlater do not listen to their peer, and it's not good that Holden doesn't pay attention to Mr. Spencer. I believe that in order for there to be justice in the book and in the world, everybody should listen to what each other has to say. This way, everything will be more balanced and equal, more fair.