The Catcher In The Rye :: essays research papers

'If you really want to know the truth, I felt sorry for the bastard.';(54) This is just one of the colorful lines that is often repeated in J.D. Salinger's The Catcher In The Rye. When the book was first released, it was considered highly controversial for its time. Many people tried to ban the reading of the book in schools. Although The Catcher In The Rye has very colorful dialogue, and deals with crude topics, it still sells over 200,000 copies annually. This is why.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Holden Caulfield is the main character in the story. The entire story is a reflection by Holden while he is staying in a mental hospital. His story begins at a private school, called Pencey. Holden has been recently kicked out of the school for lack of effort and for poor grades. Holden dislikes everybody at the school, mainly because they are ignorant and conceded. Christmas break is coming up and Holden has to wait until then to permanently leave the school. Then one night, Holden gets into a fight with his roommate. He gets so upset that he can't stand staying there anymore. In the middle of the night, Holden packs all of his belongings and heads for his hometown, New York.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The rest of the story takes place in the city, where the reader starts to see Holden's bad habits. Holden needs a place to stay because he can't go home, yet. The reason for this is because his parents have not yet found out about their son's expulsion. So Holden decides to stay in a low-class hotel. While in the hotel, Holden decides to go down to the bar. He meets three older women and 'chews the fat'; with them for a while. They soon leave and Holden is now very lonely. On his way back up to his room, Holden meets a pimp and then buys a prostitute. Once the prostitute is in his room, Holden gets an odd feeling. The more he looks at the prostitute, the more depressed he becomes. So he tells her to leave. Soon, there is a knock on his door. It is the pimp and the prostitute. She said that Holden did not pay her enough money. Holden refuses to pay the money that the prostitute says he owes her, so the pimp roughs up Holden. It is now evident that Holden is sufferi ng extreme depression.