Catcher in the rye

Recently I have read a great book by J. D. Salinger- Catcher in the rye
It was my compulsory reading during my English studies, but I wanted to brush it up.
I am impressed. The book is not light to read, it is thought provoking, very deep and it makes you think about the surrounding world. But this is what I like. I don't like shallow, down to earth books, I like indulge in a good book. Yet, for some it might be controversial. It did spark a lot of controversies when it came out. It deals with the problems of human condition, our anxieties, desires, priorities, fitting in, finding our place in this world.

Here I enclose my short review, just in case. someone finds it handy.
And I recommend the book, of course.



Exercise.Answer the questions.

What problems do you usually young people have?
How to cope with stress?

The book is about a sixteen year old boy, who being expelled from yet another school, decides to have a few days out in New York , before returning home and facing the music. Holden Caulfield, the main character, seems to be fed up with the hardships of his life and has a sort of nervous breakdown. He realizes he is surrounded by  'phonies', as he calls them’ people who according to the boy are shallow, vain and ,in a way,  normal. The truth is that in the world full of violance, aggression , dishonesty and the pursuit of money , it is very difficult to cope with the reality and a lot of people feel alienated and as if they do not fit anywhere. Holden , at the end of the book, goes to the extreme and he wishes he could live entirely byhimself, isolated , pretending to be mute.

Holden undergoes a change in the course of ' the book. He behaves very wierd, he spends too much money, he becomes reckless, smokes as a chain smoker, he wants to drink alcohol, he goes into troubles, fights and arguments. It is sad  that no one seems to see his behaviour, everyone prefers to stay indifferent. This is the most sorrow behaviour. People do not want to get involved in other people’s affairs as it is safer , easier to pretend that everything is normal, they just want to stick to the rest of the society. They claim , having a nine to five job, a beautiful garden, a dog   is a typical, normal life, if somebody stands out , he is perceived to be eccentric or a weirdo.