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{{work}}
{{Infobox book
| title = The Catcher in the Rye
| image = catcher_rye_7408.jpg
| caption = A strangely creepy cover.
| author = J. D. Salinger
| central theme =
| elevator pitch =
| genre = Coming-of-age story
| publication date = July 16, 1951
| source page exists =
| wiki URL =
| wiki name =
}}
{{quote|
'''''The Catcher in the Rye''''' is a 1951 novel by the late, reclusive author [[
The story concerns Holden Caulfield, a smart but troubled kid who, after being expelled from his boarding school in December 1949, spends his time wandering [[Big Applesauce|New York City]], mourning for the loss of innocence in children, and failing to understand the people that surround him. Holden himself can come off as a [[Jerk
▲{{quote| ''You know what I'd do, if I had a goddamn choice? I'd be [[Title Drop|the catcher in the rye]] and all.''}}
▲The Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel by the late, reclusive author [[JD Salinger]].
▲The story concerns Holden Caulfield, a smart but troubled kid who, after being expelled from his boarding school in December 1949, spends his time wandering [[Big Applesauce|New York City]], mourning for the loss of innocence in children, and failing to understand the people that surround him. Holden himself can come off as a [[Jerk With a Heart of Gold]] as he [[Wangst|unkindly judges almost everyone]], but as the book explores his underlying psychological issues and reaches its [[Bittersweet Ending]], Holden's true nature becomes apparent.
The book is considered one of the best novels of all time, is practically the textbook for [[Point of View|First-Person Narration]], and is regularly found in critical lists of the greatest English works of fiction. The novel is a frequent target of the [[Moral Guardians]] for its offensive language and nihilistic attitude.
{{tropelist}}
* [[Author Avatar]]: Holden. J.D. Salinger stated that he would have allowed a stage adaptation of the work on the condition that he be allowed to play Holden, [[Dawson Casting|despite being significantly older than Holden]] by the time this was a possibility.
* [[Big Applesauce]]
* [[Big Brother Instinct]]
* [[Bittersweet Ending]]: Holden grows a little like the examples provided, but
* [[Brilliant but Lazy]]: Holden.
* [[Children Are Innocent]]: And then they're not anymore.
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* [[Dead Little Sister]]: Dead little brother, in this case.
* [[Department of Redundancy Department]]: Holden has a habit of repeating what he just said using a different order of words ''frequently''. That is, frequently, Holden will repeat himself but put the words in a different order. [[Verbal Tic|He really does.]]
* [[Desperately Looking for
* [[First Gray Hair]]: Played with. Sixteen-year-old Holden acknowledges having a great deal of grey hair, but does not seem concerned by it. Nevertheless, it is listed as being one of his 'adult-qualities', which is significant considering the themes of the novel...
* [[Freudian Excuse]]: He [[Sarcasm Mode|oh-so-subtly]] explains what his is, before deciding not to go into any detail on it as not to [[Invoked Trope|invoke]] it. Of course, by saying so he invokes it anyway, so it's not so much averted as glossed over.
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* [[Growing Up Sucks]]: Holden has this belief and this is part of his motivation for wanting to be a "catcher in the rye" so that he can protect children from awful phony stuff.
* [[Hypocrisy Nod]]
* [[Jerkass]]: Maurice the pimp is easily the biggest example in the book. The guy charges double the money he initially did for Holden to spend time with a prostitute, then beats the ever-loving hell out of him for refusing to pay up. Stradlater is also one of these.
** For some, Holden is this. For others, [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|he's one with a good heart.]]
* [[Madden Into Misanthropy]]
* [[Misaimed Fandom]]: Holden does this with the song "Comin' Thru the Rye". It's actually about two lovers meeting in a field. Holden adopts it as an image of himself protecting children from their own inevitable maturity (especially sex) and phoniness (like, say, lying about where you're going and screwing some guy in a field instead). He [[Mondegreen|mishears it]], after all.
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* [[Precision F-Strike]]: Despite a large amount of other profanities, there is only one appearance of an actual F-bomb in the last chapter, where Holden sees it in clearly visible graffiti and tries to cover it up. A very good example of how the word can be appropriately shocking when used correctly.
* [[Punch a Wall]]: Holden mentions that after his brother died, he smashed every window in the garage with his bare hands. He also tried to knock out the family station wagon windows, but by then, his hands were too broken.
* [[Rape
{{quote|
* [[Rule of Symbolism]]: Holden's little sister, who to him is the epitome of what he's trying to protect, is named Phoebe. This is an epithet of [[Classical Mythology|Artemis]], who is occasionally associated with the moon; in its male form, "Phoebus", it is also an epithet her twin brother Apollo, who is associated with the sun. The prostitute Holden hires, who is one of the apexes of the things Holden ''hates'', is named Sunny. [[Your Mileage May Vary|Make of that what you will]].
** Artemis is also the goddess of maidenhood and innocence. On the other hand, Apollo, god of the sun, was known for having many affairs with women, like most Greek gods.
* [[Sliding Scale of Plot Versus Characters]]: '''Way''' on the character side.▼
* [[The Snark Knight]]: Holden, possibly.
▲* [[Sliding Scale of Plot Versus Characters]]: '''Way''' on the character side.
* [[Soap Punishment]]: Holden Caulfield tries asking Ward Stradlater if Stradlater gave Jane Gallagher the time. That, by the way, is old slang for having sex with someone. Stradlater responds "What a thing to say. Want me to wash your mouth out with soap?"
* [[Stylistic Suck]]: Very accurately done with Holden's one-paragraph essay on the ancient Egyptians.
{{quote|
* [[This Loser Is You]]▼
* [[Title Drop]]: The page quote above.
▲* [[This Loser Is You]]
* [[Unreliable Narrator]]: Holden, again. It's worth noticing that while his ''narration'' is hilarious, his spoken dialogue is an apex of [[The Comically Serious]] and morbidity.
* [[Unusual Euphemism]]: When Stradlater has sex with a girl, Holden refers to it as "giving her the time". Possibly justifiable due to the time period this book is set in.
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** "Boy..."
* [[Vinyl Shatters]]: Holden accidentally shatters a LP he was going to give to his sister Phoebe.
* [[Would Hurt a Child]]: Maurice has no problem whatsoever with mercilessly beating a teenager into a bloody pulp for not paying double the money he initially charged for prostitution services.
* [[Younger Than They Look]]: 16-year-old Holden Caulfield is 6'2" and has gray hairs. As such, [[Informed Ability|he claims]] he can easily pass as an adult. But he's more often called out on being a minor than he is successfully able to pass. Sunny, for example, not only wouldn't believe he was 22, but may have also compared him to a 13-year-old Freddie Bartholomew.
{{reflist}}
{{The Big Read}}
{{Top 100 Banned Books 1990s}}
{{Top 100 Banned Books 2010s}}
[[Category:Lit Fic]]
▲[[Category:The Fifties]]
[[Category:School Study Media]]
[[Category:The
[[Category:Literature of the 1950s]]
[[Category:Cult Classic]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Catcher in The Rye, The}}
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