blog #1

I am currently reading Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and I have read chapters 1-4.

In the portions I read, a high school boy named Holden Caulfield is the protagonist. It begins with his failure of school called Pencey Prep and how he failed. Then, he goes to his history teacher named Spencer, who is awfully old. He went there to say goodbye. He was instantly welcomed in the house, but Spencer decides to give him a lecture about his failures and about his future. Not wanting to hear it, Holden leaves the house and goes back to his dorm. In his dorm, this friend called Ackley, who Holden hates, comes into his room and disturbs him by doing all sorts of dirty things like squeezing his pimples and cutting his finger nails on the floor. Then, his roommate, Stradlater comes into the room. Ackley doesn't like Stradlater, so he leaves the room. Stradlater says he has a date. Then, Holden, in his mind, compares Stradlater to Ackley that they both are dirty, but Stradlater is awfully handsome and Ackley is ugly. Then, Stradlater says that his date is a girl names Jane, who Holden knows and seems to love.

My first impressions to this book was brilliant. I like how the book is different from other ordinary books. This book is written in 1st person point-of-view by Holden, the main character himself. The tone of the narrator is arrogant, which is kind of attracting. The mood, in my opinion, is a little dark because everything has been so depressing so far--Holden is expelled, he gets lectured about his future, Ackley, whom he hates comes into his room and bothers him, and Stradlater goes on a date with a girl Holden seems to like very much. Thus, I think the author is trying to give the readers an thought that Holden is hopeless right now.