20. Read "Catcher in the Rye"

Since I was traveling the last couple of weeks, I had some nice plane rides to do a little reading. About a year ago, I picked up Catcher in the Rye but it has sat on the shelf ever since. I took it with me on the trip and finished reading it last night.

The Catcher in the Rye is one of those books you are always hearing about. Plus, J.D. Salinger has a cult-like following and is often regarded as one of the most influential authors of our time.

It is also referenced more times than I can count in modern pop culture. For example, the movie "Conspiracy Theory" programs Mel Gibson to buy the novel whenever he sees it. The characters in "Chasing Amy" are named Holden McNeil and Banky Edwards, after the book's lead Holden Caufield and the basketball coach Ed Banky. It's the favorite book of Bille Joe Armstrong, the lead singer of the band Green Day. They even wrote a song about it. You can check out the lyrics here. I really could keep going on and on about where it's been mentioned but I think my favorite is this South Park episode:

Having never read the book, I could never relate or understand what they were talking about. I vaguely remember some of my friends having to read it for school but I never did. I remember most of them loved it and some even claimed it to be their favorite book. I needed to see what all the fuss was about.

Well my reaction is a little ambivalent. It didn't change my life and I'm not ready to recommend it to all my friends. However, I can see the underlying tones and messages and appreciate them. I won't go into dissecting my take-aways here, because this is not freshman comp class, but I can see relatability in all the characters and learn the life lessons vicariously through Holden's experiences.

One quote though really did strike me and I know that it's already famous from the book. In fact, I have heard it many times before and did not know it was from Catcher in the Rye.

"The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one."

I feel like the book is almost better now because I had to form an opinion on it. I had to view its affects on society and its influence over individuals because I knew that's what it was famous for. If I was just reading it at face value for pure enjoyment, I would have just quietly looked around with a confusing face and then gone on with my business. What are your opinions on the book?