Runaway Train

J.D. Salinger: The Catcher in the Rye

Another classic I had on my list for years but never managed to finish. Fascinating read, I had really missed out on something up to now.

I guess there is an "outer" and an "inner" story to this book. 17 year old Holden Caulfield gets once more kicked out of a prestigious boarding school. Having some days  left before his parents expect him back for Christmas holidays, Caulfield sets off for New York City. He books himself into a  run-down hotel, hangs out in various bars, gets drunk, tries to hook up with some tourists and ends the night with a botched attempt to hire a prostitute.

The next day, Caulfield manages to organize a date with an old date of his. Caulfield gets mad at her after she refuses to run off with him, ending the date in an argument. After more drinking, Caulfield finally heads home to see his baby sister Phoebe, all the while evading his parents' attention (who still do not know that he has been kicked out of school). Sneaking out of his family's apartment once his parents arrive, Caulfield visits his old English teacher who seems to be making an approach on him while he sleeps. The next day arranges for a meeting with Phoebe. Caulfield is all set on finally running off and heading west, but, after an argument with Phoebe, finally decides to head home. 

The "inner story" is much more relevant, though. Not sure whether the narrative technique can be labelled a stream of consciousness, but the whole story is told on the basis of Caulfield's thoughts and perceptions. Alienation and the loss of innocence seem to be the big themes. Caulfield feels surrounded by a world of "phonies", essentially (adult) people pretending to be something they aren't. He is definitely not a loner in the classic sense, having no problem finding people to spend time with during his days in New York. At the same time, he maintains his distance to virtually everybody he engages with. Caulfield's baby sister, Phoebe, seems to be the only person in the story he can properly relate to, mainly because she has still got the innocence of a child.

Overall a great read and a classic not to be missed... Salinger gives a great depiction of 1940s New York. Much more important, the book's central themes are easy to identify with. Wondering whether alienation would become a life-long theme for Caulfield, or whether he will simply settle into a life in accordance with social expectations one day....

Random Movie Association

Feels a bit like Home Alone 2. Drunk, on prozac and with a bit more sex.

Favorite quotes:

"Almost every time somebody gives me a present, it ends up making me sad"

"I'm not kidding, the hotel was lousy with perverts. I was probably the only normal bastard in that place- and that isn't saying much."

"Goddam money. It always ends up making you blue as hell."

"Guys that are very mean. Guys that never read books. Guys that are very boring"

"Lovely my ass"

"All of them swimming around in a goddam pot of tea and saying sophisticated stuff to each other and being charming and phony."

"I hope to hell when I do die somebody has sense enough to just dumb me in the river or something. Anything except sticking me in a goddam cemetery."

"You can't ever find a place that's nice and peaceful, because there isn't any. You may think there is, but once you get there, when you are not looking, somebody will sneak up and write "fuck you" right under your nose."

"Don't ever tell anybody anything. if you do, you start missing everybody."