Wednesday, February 22, 2012
My two closest friends told me I was Holden Caulfield. Holden is the narrating protagonist of J.D. Salinger’s novel “Catcher in the Rye.” I was a high school junior at the time and had never read the book, but I did have a vague notion of its plot, which seemed noneventful to say the least. I’d gathered that my alleged fictional doppelganger was possibly crazy, definitely annoying and ended his journey in an insane asylum.
In a moment of very defensive curiosity, I found myself reading this apparent manifesto of my character during some downtime at a bookstore. I read a few chapters, bought the book, finished it the next day and relented with less shame than I’d expected that I was absolutely Holden Caulfield.
It was unsettling to have a fictional character be such a direct reflection of myself even in ways unobserved by my two friends. The line between fact and fiction became distorted. I was unable to consider Holden a fictional character anymore.
I knew him, and whenever I attempted to disassociate myself from him, it seemed as dishonest as positing that I myself was a fictional character. “The Catcher in the Rye” became an invaluable and uncommon document of my young personhood from an objective viewpoint, allowing me to finally grow out of being Holden Caulfield, which I needed to do and may never have done otherwise.
This is the root of why I’m angered by the idea that “Catcher” is a bad novel, which many students believe. I know for a fact, as I hope I’ve illustrated, that the book has truth and I have to wonder what its haters were looking for in the first place. I don’t care if people dislike Holden, but to transfer disdain for a character into a disdain for the book he inhabits signals that some don’t know the difference, but more to the point, that some don’t know why good novels exist in the first place.
Good authors like J.D. Salinger wrote their stories because they had a desire for exploration. What they were looking for and how was their own business, but that appetite is the only reason any story exists.
Salinger, for instance, explored people through action and dialogue as few have done since. In each of his stories, he manages to create characters so vivid that readers become as uncomfortable as my friend became when she read his second novel, “Franny and Zooey.”
Reflections of reality don’t usually have that kind of flesh and blood, but Salinger found a way to give it to them and sometimes, as with “Rye,” managed to remove his own voice from the narrative entirely. That is empathy, which neither fiction nor documentary can survive without from their audiences. If you can’t relate to stories told by human beings about human beings on that basic level, then to whom outside yourself do your criticisms matter?
Too many people feel that all books and movies are made expressly for the purpose of pleasing them. Why, for any reason other than commerce, would people with integrity devote their lives to entertaining you?
If your desires are limited to a need for “entertainment,” then they reside in a very shallow place. Why don’t you want to “laugh”? Why don’t you want to “give a crap” or “discover” or “fall in love”? Those sound like desires worth pursuing. Life provides those things and if good stories are reflections of life, then they’ll give those things. You won’t know that’s happening until you give back.
— Coy is a sophomore in film and media studies from Lenexa.
Moreland: Top five books for every college ...
The books that should be on every college student's book shelf.
Mangiaracina: Looking back as anniversary of murder ...
Moreland: going bovine book review
Book Review of Going Bovine by Libba Bray bizarre but original.
Saha: Hunger Games about More Than Violence
You may think The Hunger Games are just about teenage violence but ...
Why aren’t people afraid of reading books ...
'Evil Business' on the shelves
KU alumnus offers perspectives on evils of society along with suspense formula
Ho: People drift apart as world connects
Technology leads to pitfalls in life.
Sturgeon’s work will ‘live long and prosper’ ...
Acclaimed science fiction writer's works begin their new life at KU.
All's fair in LARP and war
This art not thy mother's game of Scrabble — slay hard or ...
Matney: Disney needs more realistic characters
Disney princess movies need to have more characters young girls can relate ...
Moreland: Novel discusses life's purpose
In order to understand life, we have to understand fate.
KU alumna working on third novel
Author Karen Stolz credits professor and guest speakers for inspiring her writing
New strategies for procrastinators
A new technique helps students read and comprehend a novel in 10 ...
Stranger than fiction
Morning Brew: Fantasy football is serious business
Preparation and care for fictional teams takes over Sundays.
Saha: Men and women play role in ...
Let's face it. Men and women have been lying to each other ...
Students volunteer to help visually impaired
Students read and record news articles, stories and books for those who ...
DJ Spooky addresses climate change with music
Show incorporates images and sounds of Antarctic ice falling.
Schumaker: It looks easy on TV, but ...
Sometimes, politicians on TV are less phony than the real ones.
James Gunn’s science fiction offers brave new ...
The professor emeritus of English has taught at University for decades, published ...
Book review: Freedom
Reading. it’s not just for textbooks, you know.
Moreland: Novel confronts humanity's flaws
Book reviewer Josh Moreland discusses "Let the Great World Spin."
KU students get hands dirty
Student farm teaches about agriculture, while also offering real products.
Moreland: Try reading to relieve stress
Five ways reading should be a priority for you.
Campus squirrels inspire humorous Twitter account
The operator of the account denies being a "squirrel leader," and disavows ...
Journey through the past
How my job helped put my life into perspective
Carmichael: Women, take back Halloween
Costumes need not be of the scantily-clad variety.
Doing Without: Swearing
Absence makes the heart grow...?
Castle: Marriage should be between a man ...
People seem to be focused on whether same-sex couples should be allowed ...
Shroyer: Reporter tries out for baseball
After getting inspiration from a friend, Shroyer, the Kansan baseball writer, decided ...
Book review: L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad
Reading. It’s not just for textbooks, you know.
Bond: Develop personal definition of religion to ...
It is important and necessary to faith to develop a definition of ...
Conference turns Lawrence to Science-fiction city
The Science Fiction Research Association’s annual conference, running from Thursday to Saturday, ...
Q&A: Tucker Max
Because we have questions. Celebrities have answers.
Here comes the sun
How a summer abroad helped free one Jayplay writer from the dark ...
Catch of the week: Matt Araiza
Our weekly peek at a fish in the KU sea.
Love Source
Exhale stress, inhale success
Meditating to ease your mind can be as simple as breathing
Matney: Overcome insecurities to improve relationship
Failures to communicate don't have to be written off as "nature vs. ...
Book review
Nick Hornby, "Juliet, Naked"
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
1 comment
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
Comments
Coy: Movie and films aren't mean just for entertainment
salinger is messed up. i guess it takes one to know one.
Coy: Movie and films aren't mean just for entertainment
So says buttercup456. I read this whole article only because of the headline.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID