To be honest when I began reading Catcher and the Rye I hated the informal nature of J.D. Salinger’s writing. I was at first taken aback by the way Holden’s thoughts completely spill out onto the page as you are reading. I also think this shock might have come from the fact that this is so different from the previous novel I read, Washington Square. Which in contrast had a formal style.

After finally getting used to the style of writing, I did start to enjoy the novel. The rawness of his thoughts (and the fact that he was so honest with the reader) really appealed to me.

Throughout the book I was shocked at some of the things he did, most of which being carelessly spending his money. If I were in his predicament I would have never spent my money on things like taxis when a subway was available.

I noticed that he used the prefix “old” a lot when talking about a person he knew or even just met. Like “Old Luce” for example, nowadays I rarely—if ever—hear that phrase being used.

When learning about “archetypes” I began to see how there is a set of them in most novels or films I have come across. Most of the shows I watched as a child consisted of the jock, the cool girls and the nerds. Most notably in That’s so Raven and Lizzie McGuire, which are two of my favorites.

I see myself being more aware of these archetypes in the future. The ending of the novel, though a great one metaphorically, did leave me desiring for a more “bread and butter” type ending. I guess after all of the detailed observations in the novel, I became accustomed to them and wanted to know what his parents reactions were to him being expelled. I also wanted to observe how he got through his illness. What I found most charming was that Phoebe symbolized the light in the spiraling hole that was his life, and was clearly his last tie to childhood and innocence.