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Madman Days
“I’m aware that many of my friends will be saddened and shocked, or shocked-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.” ~ J.D. Salinger 1951
Published to acclaim in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye is by far the most renown of J.D. Salinger's works. Its release both infuriated and elated the public and critics alike. Salinger's only complete novel, (climaxing, if not culminating, his Caulfield era) it has become one of the great classics of post-war American Literature. Remaining a best-seller since its publication, The Catcher in the Rye has commanded the affection of each generation of readers for more than half of a century. The novel's impact is ongoing. Revolutionary for its time and characterizing an era in American history, it continues to influence the way in which society defines itself as a result of its enduring popularity and force of impact. The novel's narrator and main character, Holden Caulfield, has become an American icon. More of a living force than a fictional character, present-day readers find a rare affinity with him now as much as they did when the novel was first published. The intense emotional chord which Holden strikes in readers is testimony to the power of the author to draw the reader to a place of intimate self-examination.
A first-person narrative by Holden Caulfield, or rather, a dialogue between Holden and the reader, this novel is unique in literature by the apparent absence of the author. Salinger's authorship is not an exercise in control, but an exercise in presentation. The result is an intimacy between the main character and the reader (as they participate in the story) which is rare in literature. Rare too, is the mechanism by which the narration, rather than explaining the plot, becomes the plot itself. The weaving together of these unusual literary tactics gift the reader with the rare position of actually being a major character of the book, making its reading an intensely personal experience.
Most readers first experience Catcher when they are young. If testimony is any indication, its impact is usually profound at an early age. The reading of this book often lingers on as one of the more pleasant memories of youth and the bond which is formed between the reader and Holden's character often survives the years. Consequently, if one re-reads Catcher at a later stage of life they not only re-establish that bond with an old friend, but re-establish a bond with their younger selves.
But the joy of Catcher goes beyond this. In re-reading The Catcher in the Rye, one often discovers a Holden Caulfield who has also altered with the years. This is a novel which constantly molds itself to the reader. It is a literary fishes and loaves. Just as familiarity with Holden's character does not diminish his complexity, or familiarity with ourselves does not diminish our own mystery, the gift of self-discovery that this novel offers is not diminished by time.
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O, Jenny's a' weet, poor body,
Jenny's seldom dry:
She draigl't a' her petticoatie,
Comin thro' the rye!
Comin thro' the rye, poor body,
Comin thro' the rye,
She draigl't a' her petticoatie,
Comin thro' the rye!
Gin a body meet a body
Comin thro' the rye,
Gin a body kiss a body,
Need a body cry?
Gin a body meet a body
Comin thro' the glen,
Gin a body kiss a body,
Need the warl' ken?
Gin a body meet a body
Comin thro' the grain;
Gin a body kiss a body,
The thing's a body's ain.
Robert Burns
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They, asked me how I knew,
My true love was true,
I of course replied, something here inside,
Can not be denied.
They, said some day you'll find,
All who love are blind,
When you heart's on fire, you must realize,
Smoke gets in your eyes.
So I chaffed them, and I gaily laughed,
To think they would doubt our love,
And yet today, my love has gone away,
I am without my love.
Now laughing friends deride,
Tears I cannot hide,
So I smile and say, when a lovely flame dies,
Smoke gets in your eyes,
Kern/Harbach
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