Ruminations on The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

I visited the location where the last scene of Catcher in the Rye takes place. I went during the summer, but I thought it’d be appropriate to share right before Christmas, like in the book. Does Catcher in the Rye count as a Christmas book then? That’s a stretch, maybe a holiday one at most.

I never thought I’d say this, but I love this book so much. Much more so after rereading it for the first time this year. I caught so many more nuances that my tenth grade self didn’t. I’ve found that I don’t really take time to appreciate literature and allow it to resonate deeply within me when I’m being forced to overanalyze it for meaning and symbolism for academic purposes.

I love the overarching theme of avoiding growing up. What else would you expect from me, a Little Prince enjoyer? The fear of losing childlike wonder, of growing up and becoming like the rest of the boring phony adults who go around pretending things are way more important than they are. Holden is a grade-A brat. He goes through money like water, doesn’t take responsibility for his actions, and runs from his problems. I’m not defending him; he’s awful in the book. But he is a teenager after all. Weren’t we all? Desperate to understand even a little bit of the world, the urges we had, the recklessness, the fear, the desire, the stupidity, the frustration.

There is something special about the last scene before the epilogue, as he watches Phoebe ride the carousel. Him deciding to stay put with his sister to ensure she grows up in a “proper” environment like him, realizing value in that. It would be almost anticlimactic, but this scene leaves just enough closure. The song that plays as he watches her go around and around, the freezing winter air, and his silly hunter’s hat. It’s one of my favorite endings to a book and so utterly satisfying.

My dad read this book too; he came to this exact spot when he visited a few months before me. He sent me a photo of the carousel and listened to Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by The Platters like in the book. So, I lugged my copy all the way to New York just to be able to reread the scene at the same spot it takes place. It was perfect and a full-circle moment in every way possible.

Dec. 24, 2023