I have to admit that I opened this book with some trepidation. No, not because of the violence, but because I am a little kid. It is an old book with yellowed pages and an ugly cover. I'm a bad librarian, what can I say? Despite this initial hesitation I was reluctant to put the book down after I got halfway through the first chapter. The issues the main character and his friends face are so drastically different from the problems that I ever have and most likely will ever encounter, yet Hinton's writing makes it come alive for me. I felt as if I was a greaser. I hated the Socs, but as Ponyboy and I came to find out together, they are human all the same. It opens as a story about economic classes determining the way things are run in Ponyboy's city. The Socs have all the money and the best of everything and they let the Greasers know exactly what they think of them by jumping them. Often. The Greasers may not have the best money or vernacular, but they have heart and are expressive. For the most part the fights that occurr as a result of this classist society are miniscule and a part of everyday life. That is, until Ponyboy and his friends walk home two Soc girls that just so happen to be the girlfriends of some of the toughest Socs in town. Later that night, the very same Socs stumble upon Ponyboy and his buddy Johnny looking for a fight. Not only do they get a fight, but meek little Johnny knives one of the Socs and kills him. Ponyboy and Johnny go on the run and are about to start a new life when something unexpected happens. The church they were hiding out in blazes with a wild fire, with several small children trapped inside. With their big hearts in tow, Ponyboy and Johnny jump into the fire and bring the children out, who would have otherwise died. Juvenille delinquents turned heros, say the papers, but that doesn't make Ponyboy feel any better because his buddy Johnny caught the brunt of the rescue and is in critical condition. Meanwhile, things between the Socs and the Greasers are at an all-time low ever since Johnny murdered one of the Socs, and an ultimate showdown is on the way. Will Johnny make it out of the hospital alive? Who will come out on top of the big fight, Socs or Greasers? Is Ponyboy going to stay sweet and poetic or will he succumb to the hardships of his lifestyle and lose heart?
First line of the book:
"When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home."BONAS JONAS: My FAVORITE aspect of this novel is the circular nature of it. Circle stories (the first and last paragraph are the same) are my absolute favorite and it definitely made this book that much better for me. I think I actually squealed with delight, but then again, I squeal and shake with delight like a guinea pig often. I am easily excitable. But still! Amazing!
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6 comments:
It looks like you have more than one Interesting Thing on your hands here. :)
Nice! You actually make me want to read the book, and I've never really been tempted to actually pick it up. Research it, yes, read it for a class, but not actually go out and buy a copy for reading myself.
I'm just reading Catcher in the Rye for the first time, and enjoying it rather more than I thought I would. It's also for a YA Lit class :D I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on it if you've ever considered it for a review (1951!) or just your thoughts in general. I know it's one of the most challenged/banned books (along with The Outsiders, if I'm correct, but it could just be that I need another shot of coffee)
Sorry, phone rang. Anyway. I know that Catcher is required reading in many high schools, but being as I was homeschooled and following a different curriculum (I just read through the 820s and Ray Bradbury's works, mostly. . .), I've never had to or really wanted to (I've owned it because I meant to read it for Banned Books Week, but read The Giver intsead) read it.
Funny, because I know someone exactly like Caulfield.
I actually had to read it for sophomore year of high school. haha Lucky for you, I could probably review it without rereading it since my English teacher was OBSESSED with it! Seriously. It was the first book we read in the semester and he explicated the crap out of it. I can tell you the symbolism for every page if you give me a minute to reread it. True story. And then I can tell you how it compares to every other book we read that year, such as the-play-that-shall-not-be-named and To Kill a Mockingbird. Oh Mr. Belsky... what a guy. He also went on to ask if I was going to shoot up the school. Also a true story.
Are you referring to The Scottish Play?
I'd love to study Catcher in a class, but right now it's not as an analytical tool. . . I'm hoping the classes for my MA (hopefully in Lit, and the Uni I'm looking at is almost all American lit-focused) will cover it, but probably not since everyone else will have already covered it. Grrr.
I have marked up the books with the themes and interesting/intertwining bits. It's weird, but I almost want to read it again (finished it on the way home today - yay for carpool!) and I only just finished it.
Indeed that is the play to which I refer.
Alright, that's it. You're making me want to read Catcher in the Rye again and that is just unacceptable. My to-read pile is unruly and threatening to kill me with its mob connections as it is.
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