Read to Chapter 14 over the break
The Catcher in the Rye | Introduction
Although The Catcher in the Rye caused considerable controversy when it was first published in 1951, the book—the account of three disoriented days in the life of a troubled sixteen-year-old boy—was an instant hit. Within two weeks after its release, it was listed number one on The New York Times best-seller list, and it stayed there for thirty weeks. It remained immensely popular for many years, especially among teenagers and young adults, largely because of its fresh, brash style and anti-establishment attitudes—typical attributes of many people emerging from the physical and psychological turmoil of adolescence.
It also was the bane of many parents, who objected to the main character's obscene language, erratic behavior, and antisocial attitudes. Responding to the irate protests, numerous school and public libraries and bookstores removed the book from their shelves. Holden simply was not a good role model for the youth of the 1950s, in the view of many conservative adults. Said J.D. Salinger himself, in a rare published comment, "I'm aware that many of my friends will be saddened and shocked, or shock-saddened, over some of the chapters in The Catcher in the Rye. Some of my best friends are children. In fact, all my best friends are children. It's almost unbearable for me to realize that my book will be kept on a shelf out of their reach." The clamor over the book undoubtedly contributed to its popularity among the young: It became the forbidden fruit in the garden of literature. For some reason—perhaps because of the swirling controversies over his written works—Salinger retreated from the New York literary scene in the 1960s to a bucolic New Hampshire community called Cornish, where he has lived a very private life and avidly avoided the press. Despite the fact that he has granted few interviews, there is a substantial body of critical and biographical works about Salinger and his all-too-brief list of literary creations.
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So as I’m leaving the club I see that bastard of a man Stradlater again. But he’s not alone. The handsome bastard. He’s with the dumb blonde girl again from the club, the goddamn one that left me with the crumby bill. The bastard Stradlater is loaded, so the moron won’t have the problem of paying the lousy bill. Maybe I can even get money out of the bastard myself. Lousy moron. She’s doing the thing again. I see him trying to start a conversation but she stares around the place still looking for Gary Cooper. That killed me.
By the look of it she was not at all interested in Stradlater. The bastard. For Chrissake, when would he get the picture? It killed me to see him plant one on her. The handsome bastard. She was trying to push him off but it didn’t seem to work. He looked like a good kisser though, I mean it. It killed me most when she slapped him and left him to go back in the club.
Why do handsome bastards like Stradlater think every woman is attracted to them? Their thought of being the best gets to their heads and creates a lousy personality. Then the average dumb guys like me get the chance to win them over. It kills me that I can never get a girl to myself. The only real girl I had was Jane. She was great. Came so close to necking her. As did Stradlater, almost gave her the time. Maybe she’s the type that likes the just the physical relationship more than the actual connection. Is this how D.B. started out before he became a prostitute?
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