The novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger is about a 16 or 17-year-old boy living in New York. Holden, the main character, is talking about his life and his recent experiences which resulted in him seeing a psychiatrist or therapist. The book as a whole was enjoyable and the plot was well thought out, creative, and original. Except, I don’t think I enjoyed reading about Holden’s character. The plot and scenes in the book were excellent, but it was exhausting hearing about Holden constantly calling people phonies and complaining about the world. 

Yes, I can agree that most teenagers nowadays, and during the time the book took place always complained about the world, but Holden complained too much. At the beginning of the book, Holden seems relatable but eventually, his personality starts to fizzle out and he starts becoming someone who hates everything and rarely seems to be happy or positive about anything. He often calls people “phonies” and is overall a very judgemental person. Although all teenagers nowadays are judgemental, he’s over the top. 

Many people think teenagers nowadays like The Catcher in the Rye because of its relatedness to its readers. Still, many teens who read this book in English class find it obnoxious and repetitive. I think Holden in The Catcher in the Rye talks too much about “phonies'' and isn’t acting his age by constantly refusing to grow up and mature. Yes, teenagers do stupid things as Holden did in the novel but he complains too much about maturing and conforming with society. This makes the classic novel hard to read. Although the plot is interesting, it can sometimes be irritating. 

If you try to look for reviews on The Catcher in the Rye, you’ll find two types of reviews; the ones that praise and glorify the book and those that despise and complain about Holden’s personality and the way the novel is written. Not only is Holden’s personality immature along with his humor, the grammar in the novel is even more immature. According to a writer on Cannonball Read, “There’s a lot of imagery you could analyze about the loss of innocence and youth, but Holden stinks. So I don’t want to linger on the finer details. It seems like a book that could be fun to discuss in a class, but absent that, it’s just an annoying 2 days with a guy with a grating personality” (Cannonball Read). The theme that Salinger was going for was easily recognizable, but the delivery of this theme was questionable. The same author of the review also quoted that Holden, “constantly repeats himself” (Cannonball Reader). This is completely agreeable because there are many instances where he repeats himself. For example, “I thought I might give old Jane another buzz and see if she was home yet. I mean I had the whole evening free, and I thought I’d give her a buzz and, if she was home yet…” (Salinger). The inadequate grammar and style of his writing make it annoying to read the novel sometimes. Although you can make the argument that the author uses this grammar as a way to connect and relate to the teenage audience, I as a teenager still find it obnoxious. 

All in all, the novel The Catcher in the Rye is a novel known by many people. Still, I would argue that it isn’t worthy of being known because of its poor choice of grammar, inappropriate topics, improper writing style, and the overall peskiness of the main character’s personality. This novel, although taught in most High Schools, is not compelling enough for its directed audience.