The Catcher in the Rye Journal Entry #2

The second half of the novel Catcher in the Rye consists mainly of the main character, Holden Caulfield's journey through New york City over the period of a day and a half. Holden goes through many little "episodes", such as talking to the nuns, talking to Phoebe, and going to see his old teacher, Mr.Antolini. These episodes further help define and build up the character of Holden Caulfield in the reader's mind.

One such episode that takes place, takes place right after Holden flees Mr.Antolini's house. This episode is possibly the most important episode, even though it only lasts for around a half a page. In this episode, Holden feels as if he's about to go down off the sidewalk forever, and disappear. Once he gets down onto the pavement, he starts to sweat, and repeats this "routine" every time he steps off of a curb. Then, as he states he "started something else". Holden began to pray to his dead brother Allie to "not let him disappear...not let him disappear." Not let him disappear from where, Holden leaves us to guess. The reader can only assume that Holden meant that he hoped he wouldnít disappear when he was on the path to maturing, and becoming a man instead of staying an immature boy. That his views, beliefs, and ideas would always be counted and would always be recognized.

Another important episode in New York is the episode in which Holden is having a conversation with his little sister Phoebe and the line from a poem comes up. That particular line is the basis of the title of the novel. Holden mistakes the line for: "If a body catch a body coming through the rye. His sister, mad at him snaps back "It's if a body meet a body coming through the rye." Holden then explains what he wanted to be, being the catcher in the rye. The catcher in the rye symbolizes all that is childlike and pure, and represents Holden's desire to grow up at the same time. Holden wants to save children from becoming what he is now. Very confused and unsure about where they are in life, and what they are going to do. He is going to "save" them from going off the wrong way, off the cliff, and into adulthood. This is J.D. Salinger's message throughout the book, growing up is a confusing phase in which you must be "saved". Holdenís solution to this problem was to simply "catch" them all, and place them back in the baseball game of childhood, instead of off the cliff, into the uncertainties of adulthood. His parent's solution was to put Holden into a mental institution. Makes the reader think which solution is better, or possibly more rational.

The novel Catcher in the Rye is considered a classic, one supposes, because on the surface it appears to have no plot, yet on the inside it really is just that. Stringing together the many incidents of small little nothings that occur in a teens life, and making sense out of all of them, leave something. That something is a detailed account of how the teen in question 'grew up' and took the leap off of the cliff.