Catcher: Second Post

I just finished "The Catcher in the Rye" and honestly, I haven't decided whether I liked it or not. As I said in the last post, I enjoyed the writing style. The author, J.D. Salinger, used repetition a lot, and it really interested me. I also liked the way Holden would talk, using curses and what not.. it seemed more realistic then the way most books portray guys his age. But the first thought that came to my head when I put the book down was .. "What was the point?" I am still trying to figure out the plot to this story, or the climax.. or any of the normal stages a book should have. There was no distinct beginning, middle and end.. it was just all bunched together into one 214 page story. I kinda liked it though. It wasn't like the author was trying to follow any writing rules or anything.. he was just writing the story because it appealed to him. Holden's life really appealed to me too. I kept forgetting he was only a 17 year old, rather then practically 25. He was so immature in some ways, involving school and education, but very mature in others. He handled situations very well, and no matter what he knew that his family always came first. He went through a lot in those few days alone in the city, and I think it completely opened his eyes. If I had to predict what happened in his life after the story ended, I would say he applied himself in school and succeeded in getting a job and having a nice life. I loved Phoebe's character probably the most. Even though the reader only meets her in the last few chapters, I find her very interesting and realistic. A little girl always looks up to her older brother, and stays by his side no matter what. She was stubborn, fun and exciting all in one. All of the characters in this book seemed real to me.. not like some made up fictional characters you see in other books. So, in conclusion, I would say I pretty much enjoyed "The Catcher in the Rye" a lot, despite the lack of plot and/or climax. It definitely lived up to the expectations that many people before me have set for it.

*Sorry, I know this is a mess and my thoughts are all over the place(: