Hooked on YA books 2015 discussion

I am currently rereading this piece of classic literature that I haven't even thought about since I read it my first time in 10th grade.

I am really surprised just how manic Holden Caulfield's inner monologue is. I don't think I appreciated the writing techniques that contribute to his voice as a narrator when I was in 10th grade. It's really quite obvious how socially inept and challenged he is.

Anyway, some tensions that Holden is experiencing right now is his love/hate relationship with his roommate (before he runs away from school), Stradlater. He talks about how much of a good guy he is, then talks about how much he hates him and how he's such an a-hole for taking Jane Gallagher (a seeming love interest of Holden's) on a date and allegedly "giving her the time."

He is a socially awkward character and we only get a subjective view of who he is through his brief interactions with other people in the text. I am excited to finish the story as an adult through new eyes.

The book I would recommend the most is The Catcher in the Rye. I think this book is absolutely perfect to introduce young adults to the joys of critical literary inquiry and discussion. There is such an abundance of ways to interpret the story, none of which are necessarily “right.” So much symbolism, recurring motifs and themes to unpack. Is Holden an innocent person? Youth? Child? What is innocence? What is youth? What connects youth and innocence? I would recommend this book simply because of the sheer breadth of interpretation that would undoubtedly inspire spirited discussion and be a memorable taste of the dynamic, lively world of literary interpretation and analysis.