The multiple interpretations of The Catcher in the Rye

There are multiple meanings to art, but that's also maybe what is cool about art in its many forms. If it is done properly, maybe it has multiple meanings and paths of communication to the person reading or consuming it.

LITERAL MEANINGS

There may be a literal meaning of a story or poem and perhaps the reader will only get that out of it and/or something else, like a deeper feeling or emotion or something.

Words or instruments or brushes or pencils are just a medium that people use to express themselves. An electric bass player is an artist who simply chooses to express himself, and his creativity, through that particular instrument.

A good example in fiction is the famous book The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger. On some level the book is just about a mentally ill teenager talking about some things that happened. But what makes the book powerful is the extent to which people identify with the main character.

JD SALINGER AND THE HORRORS OF WAR

JD Salinger when he wrote The Catcher In The Rye was fighting in the 11 months days following D-Day, which were apparently one of, if not the most deadly and dangerous times of WW II.

Here's a small excerpt from a Vanity Fair article:

"Tuesday, June 6, 1944, was the turning point of J. D. Salinger’s life. It is difficult to overstate the impact of D-day and the 11 months of combat that followed. The war, its horrors and lessons, would brand itself upon every aspect of Salinger’s personality and reverberate through his work."

Some critics I believe say he channeled his emotions - anxiety, depression, anger, in the main character Holden Caulfield. And that is why the book is so powerful and has attained a cult following - not only the book but also the author obviously.

I watched the film biography of Salinger and there are these people who tried to meet him because they thought he would somehow be able to relate to them and they had some kind of special bond with him.

But in a certain sense the book is just about some confused some would say, mentally ill teenager who talks about a particular period of his life.

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