Aidan Kelly-MillerHour 5 Literary StudiesFebruary 28, 2014The Catcher in the RyeThe book I chose for my independent reading project is “The Catcher in the Rye,” by J.D. Salinger, Little Brown and Company, 1951. “The Catcher in the Rye” is a coming-of-age story. It describes the transitions that sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield goes through as he tries to make sense of growing up. The story takes place in the late 1940s or early 1950s. The main character, Holden Caulfield, tells his own story. At the beginning of the book, we learn that Holden tells his story while he is a patient in a psychiatric hospital in California. Holden tells us about the things that happened to him a few months earlier. Salinger doesn't tell us anything about why Holden is in the mental hospital, he just launches right into Holden's narration. The themes of “The Catcher in the Rye” are isolation, avoidance, and fear of growing up. The plot revolves around Holden and the people he interacts with. Holden is a mess. He's like many kids who discover that growing up can be scary. I think Holden wanted to be like Peter Pan and never grow up. The plot shows that the way Holden deals with his fear leads to many stressful and disappointing situations and relationships. The four main characters that I will describe are: Holden Caulfield, Phoebe Caulfield, Mr. Antolini and Ackley. Holden Caulfield is the main character and narrator of the novel. Holden is a sixteen-year-old high school student who has just failed out of another prep school. Holden is intelligent and sensitive, but his thoughts and feelings are full of cynicism and negativity. He looks bored and tired with almost everyone and everything. Ho...... middle of paper...... the studio lot and we could see where the films are filmed! You might meet people I know and we might even go to the ocean and swim. HEY! I just had a great idea, maybe you could stay in California for a while instead of going back to New York. You could live with me! What does that tell you? » H - “Yeah, well, Mom said she might be able to enroll me in school in the fall, so I'll only miss a year. But I would really like to see you DB, you can come next weekend, sure? » DB - “I'll be there, count on that Holden. But I have to go right away, they call me to a meeting with the producer and the director and you can't say "no" to these guys. Holden, if things get really bad, call me, day or night, understand? » H - Sure, DB, I'm fine, but don't forget you said I could drive the JAG. ByeD - Goodbye and I won't forget…….