Summary
The novel tackles about the three-day journey of young teenager, Holden Caulfield to find what he really likes to do in life. The novel begins as he describes how his school, Pencey Prep, is surrounded by “phonies” and he says that he failed almost all his subjects except English. Afterwards, he gets into a fight with his roommate, and then he decides to leave the school, and stay in a hotel in New York. Meanwhile, through his stay in New York, he meets different people, and then he shares his realizations to his younger sister, Phoebe that he wants to be a “Catcher in the Rye”.

Writing Style
The story is fiction. It is a modern classic of the coming of age genre. The protagonist, Holden Caulfield, narrates in a first person perspective. He speaks in a typical teenager way with old 50's slang. He provides a commentary on the events describing what he sees and experiences giving us a sense of what is happening. The book was organized chronologically. In conclusion, the book was well written. For that reason, it was very easy to follow.

Vocabulary Words and Literary Devices
The book is understandable and easy to analyze. It consists of words used during the 50's. There are also words that are mostly used in today's society. It also has some curse words, in which young readers should be warned about.

Vocabulary Words
1. Phony (9) - fake, not genuine, fraudulent
2. Suave (64) - Someone who is suave is charming, polite, and elegant, but may be insincere.
3. Flit (143) - a 50's slang word for homosexual
4. Foyer (158) - an entrance hall used by the public, especially a hotel or a theater
5. Digress (182)- leave the main subject temporarily in speech or writing.

Literary Devices
1. Theme - Alienation and Depression
Holden has no real friends and he further isolates himself by labeling everyone as a phony. Pheobe is actually the only member of Holden's family that didn't abandon him in some way or another. His younger sister Allie died, his brother,  D.B. is in Hollywood and his parents are always keeping their distance from him.

2. Visual Imagery
"There were pills and medicine all over the place and everything smelled like Vicks Nose Drops... old Spencer had on this very sad, ratty old bathrobe that he was probably born in or something" Salinger forces the reader to picture Mr. Spencer and understand why Holden is depressed being around him.

3. Symbolism- Hair colours
Both Allie and Phoebe share the same colour of hair which is red. They are described as happy and energetic, with a hair color to match. Holden on the other hand, is depress with dull gray hair color. This symbol also shows how Holden is very different compared to his siblings

4. Irony
Holden hates phonies more than anything but he acts like one all the time by lying. Also, he often tell readers to "trust him" but swears right after.

5. Conflict - Holden v.s. Himself
Holden gets into fight with other people like Straedlater and Maurice but most of his damage is done by himself. Holden flunks out of all his schools because he refuses to apply himself. Holden has no friends because he calls them as phonies and refuses to talk to them.

*The literary devices in the novel has helped reinforce the theme of depression, alienation, and the childlike innocence in a cruel adult reality world.

Effectiveness

"Catcher in the Rye", with no doubt, is believable. The first person narration of Holden gives us a better insight into his character and the feelings and views he demonstrates make him seem more realistic in the eyes of the reader. Also, the use of foul language and name calling is very effective in making readers relate to the characters better and make the characters seem realistic. All in all, the life and story of Holden is very believable as teenagers may be experiencing the same thing as him.

Rating

I would rate this book 3.5 out of 5. I like the fact that the author immediately creates an irreverent atmosphere at the beginning of the book with Holden being portrayed as insolent, lazy and completely clueless about his future. I also find Holden's actions absolutely intriguing and as I read the book, it was fascinating to get inside the head of the strange, rebellious protagonist. I also liked the fact that the book has many significant meanings behind it. However, I think the story itself is boring because it is not your typical novel where there is a rising action. But, I would still recommend this book to adults, most specifically to teenagers because I think many of them would be able to relate to the various themes present in the book.

Bias
Throughout the novel, I was able to see personal connections between the main character, Holden, and myself. The most direct example of my connection with him is that we are both teenagers. Similar to Holden, I sometimes feel lost and desire to be far away from the realities of the world. However, we can never go beyond because of the responsibilities we have.

Author Influences

Holden holds a striking resemblance to the author, J.D. Salinger, himself . In the novel, there are many aspects of Salinger's life that appeared in the Catcher in the Rye. For instance, Holden is the son of wealthy parents from New York just like Salinger. Similar to Holden, Salinger had a deep love for younger people, especially young women. This is evident in 1970,when Salinger (51 years old) maintained a relationship with an 18 year old woman, Joyce Maynard. To this I may say Salinger used his own character, Holden, to expose his personal life and feelings.