The Catcher In The Rye - A Book Review.
Some people that have read "The Catcher in the Rye' have had less then positive views to share about the novel as a whole. Very often readers find that the narrator, Holden Caulfield, is annoying, has no real depth and more or less just goes around saying "Goddamn" and "What a phony" while whining about the world. After reading the book, I learned that the book isn't about whining about life, but instead it simply shows a cynical view of the world; A view that is seldom looked at by most people.
One dominant theme in the "Catcher in the Rye" is loneliness. The narrator displays his loneliness throughout the novel. The loneliness theme is shown during a conversation between Holden and a taxi driver. In this short trip from one bar to another Holden engages in a meaningless conversation with the driver, when he reaches the bar he invites the driver inside with him for a drink. Loneliness also is shown when Holden encounters a pimp and a prostitute. Now in today's society prostitution has survived on the need of lonely men. Holden ends up not wanting to have sex with the prostitute and pays her to talk to him. I feel that this situation also turns out to be one of the most humorous in the book. The prostitute and her pimp return to Holden's hotel room to collect the money that he owes them. In the ensuing argument between Holden and the pimp, you will see the pimp change his original fee from ten dollars to fifteen. This change in fee came after the fact that Holden's time with the prostitute had ended and now he was being asked for even more money then originally expected. In the end, the prostitute simply winds up taking the extra five dollars out of Holden's wallet. As they leave, Holden begins to cry. The theme of loneliness also is shown by the narrator calling everyone a "phony". This attitude Holden displays for everyone distances him from everyone else.
