There is one other Sallinger work in print which has not been mentioned yet: a few years back a short novel entitled Hapworth 16, 1924, was published. It had originally appeared in The New Yorker in the mid-60s, and is his last published work.
The novel (which I have not read), consists mostly of a long letter from summer camp written by Seymour Glass when he was seven.
Ahem. Nitpicker that I am, ** slipster, ** I must point out that it’s the Queen of * Diamonds * in * The Manchurian Candidate *, not the Queen of Hearts.
No he didn’t. He misheard the line “gin a body meet a body coming through the rye” as “gin a body catch a body coming through the rye.”
I love this book. When I was reading this book, I wondered and asked myself repeatedly, how the heck did I miss this book? (I abruptly and repeatedly answered myself, then, that it’s 'cause I don’t read).
Holden Claufield is a good apple. But he’s bad 'cause he gets into trouble with every single school and gets kicked out. He smokes and drinks too if he gets a chance. He also keeps trying to get laid whenever he thinks there is an opportunity.
But I’m so much touched by his love for his little sister. Very character-like of him. He’s such a bad apple but does things out of respect for elders like his old teachers that he goes and visits them. Sits there, hates the fact that he’s sitting there and listening to their sermons but still keeps quiet and be an obedient boy. He also does silly, shamelful things like calling a tramp late at night to get an appointment, or to try to pick up twerps at smogy bars. A little desperate, frusterated to have sex, but a little self-conscious, apprehensive to score a decent date. That’s a good apple teen who does a lot of bad things but do couple of good things and makes a difference. But no, it’s not only about doing couple of good thing that makes him a good apple. It’s about fantasizing a good thing that’s distinguishes him. Among other things that make you what you’re (like eating, reading, and, well, drinking), you’re what you fantasize.
Now, he doesn’t fantasize about being “A Catcher in the Rye”. He fantasizes about being “The Catcher in the Rye”. That’s all the difference and distintinction there.
I don’t like to read a book more than once. This is not my most favorite book either but it’s definitely the one I won’t mind reading again.