J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield, the phonies and me
MANILA, Philippines - I have always wanted to join this contest but it always boiled down to the same old question: What is my favorite book? My choices are varied, ranging from C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, to Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, Laura Esquirel’s Like Water for Chocolate, the Harry Potter series, Pippi Longstocking, Life of Pi, Where The Wild Things Are, The Kite Runner, Mary Poppins…the list never ends. I am reading the Fifty Shades trilogy at the moment, so I would say that it is my favorite book of all time but then again I always say that until I read the next book. After drinking a lot of coffee and doing some sort of meditation I asked myself that same question for the last time.
It is the book that touched my life on different levels and made me what I am today. It is none other than J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. It is my most favorite book. Knowing that it is very controversial and was banned, challenged or censored, it is also the novel that has been associated with the shooting of John Lennon and the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan. The more I discover about the book, the more I wanted to read it.
For those who have not read it: It is about Holden Caulfield, a 17-year-old boy from New York City telling the story of three days in his life after he is expelled from his prep school Pencey. Taking care not to tell the news to his parents sooner than necessary, he lingers in New York. He encounters a series of incidents with the cab drivers, a prostitute, two nuns, a date with his former girlfriend, remembering his late brother, meeting his favorite teacher and finally his sister. He dives deeper into his “phony” world. Then, he ends up in a psychiatric institution.
It is simply a coming-of-age novel, where Holden seems very skeptical about the world, bewildered, disgruntled, alienated, immature and directionless. I am Holden Caulfield, well, not totally, but almost. I was once at that awkward stage of being a teenager. If only I had read the novel back in high school, it would have comforted me by making me feel less alone, sharing the same feeling as Holden criticizing the world and its occupants. I was already 20 years old and in my first year of being a teacher here in a private school when I first read the novel. Holden isn’t so different from most of the people that surround me, like my teenager brother who was once dropped from school, my friends whose directions were derailed and a number of pupils/students here in school where almost every day someone is faced with disciplinary action or, worst, suspension or expulsion.
I was called to the principal’s office quite a few times back then for not-so-good behavior. I had my own troubles in school. I never told my mother and she never knew but luckily I did have some of the best teachers.
Troubled teens like Holden are not rare these days. As a teacher myself, I can only do so much. I can say though that the source of such repugnance towards one’s surroundings is lack of care. No one, at least it seemed so for Holden, cared enough to give attention to what was going on in his mind.
In the novel there is a character named Mr. Antolini. He is a character that is closest to my heart because he is a teacher –– in fact, he is Holden’s favorite teacher. He breaks the stereotypes of being a teacher. He is compassionate and his actions are care for his friends and students like Holden. I wish that teachers like me could be like him.
I do believe personally that alienation, rebellion and the immaturity of being a teenager are just a phase and teenagers need somebody who can care, guide and understand them but it so happens that the home, school, church, television and cyber world are full of phonies.
Salinger introduced me to the word “phony” — the fake, hypocritical or pretentious — and our world has a lot of them in all shapes and sizes. Whether we admit it or not, each one of us has been a phony at certain points in our lives.
My favorite part of the story is when Holden meets his younger sister Phoebe, who tells him she wants to run away with him and that she will never go back to school. Holden sees himself in her, finally changes his mind and decides to go back to his parents.
The title of the book, The Catcher in the Rye, is a great metaphor for our world. “The rye fields” represent the adult world where it is dirty and corrupt. Holden wants to be “the catcher” to catch the “fallen,” those children like his sister playing above the cliff where below are “the rye fields.” Phoebe is Holden’s idea of childhood innocence but Phoebe challenges his view by acting older and more mature than she is. The twist is she ends up being Holden’s very own “catcher in the rye.”
When I was about to graduate from school, I was terrified of leaving the wonderful, innocent, carefree world of youth. Being a free and independent adult as I am now, I still can’t help but be terrified of the phoniness of the world that lurks ahead.
Salinger’s work has influenced me by making me accept change and put up with it instead of being immature like Holden. Holden sees everyone as “phonies” and runs away from his problems. Seeing him being so immature (as many teens are) reminds me that I must not do as he did. Don’t flee from your problems, confront them. You cannot run away from them forever.
It is no doubt that the book is full of angst. It is cynical, sad and depressing. What is important is that it has a happy ending — maybe not our typical or perfect ending, not “He (Holden) lives happily ever after” — but kind of an optimistic one despite the dark clouds.
My English teacher once taught me about SHE (Significant Human Experience) in literature. Then The Catcher in the Rye came and became so significant in my life. It was published more than 50 years ago but until now continues to influence not just ordinary people like me but also great writers. I can clearly see that J.D. Salinger’s work has influenced my other favorite writer Stephen Chbosky and his The Perks of Being a Wallflower. In this age of Facebook, WiFi zones, YouTube, global warming, K-pop, smart phones, etc… books like The Catcher in the Rye are here to stay and will continue to illuminate.
This week’s winner
Ralph A. Ordiz is in his sixth year of teaching Grades 1 and 2 in Lapu-Lapu, Cebu. He teaches reading, language, science and Filipino. Starting next year, he will be teaching kindergarten children. “I love telling my pupils stories based on the books I’ve read. Stories can capture their hearts.”
