When the weather's nice, my parents go out quite frequently and stick a bunch of flowers on old Allie's grave. I went with them a couple of times, but I cut it out. In the first place, I don't enjoy seeing him in that crazy cemetery. Surrounded by dead guys and tombstones and all. It wasn't too bad when the sun was out, but twice - twice - we were there when it started to rain. It was awful. It rained on his lousy tombstone, and it rained on the grass on his stomach. It rained all over the place. All the visitors that were visiting the cemetery started running like hell over to their cars. That's what nearly drove me crazy. All the visitors could get in their cars and turn on their radios and all and then go someplace nice for dinner - everybody except Allie. I couldn't stand it. I know it's only his body and all that's in the cemetery, and his soul's in Heaven and all that crap, but I couldn't stand it anyway. I just wished he wasn't there.
Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.
Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.
This fall I think you're riding for - it's a special kind of fall, a horrible kind. The man falling isn't permitted to feel or hear himself hit bottom. He just keeps falling and falling. The whole arrangement's designed for men who, at some time or other in their lives, were looking for something their own environment couldn't supply them with. Or they thought their own environment couldn't supply them with. So they gave up looking. They gave it up before they ever really even got started.
The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move. . . . Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you.
14 comments:
Thanks for dropping by my blog today! If you're looking for some title suggestions, you should visit my shelfari page. http://www.shelfari.com/o1518204504/shelf
I love shelfari; you can join different groups and talk about different genres of books.
Hope you have a great weekend!
Great text from Catcher and the Rye. I am ashamed to say that I have never read it. I will give it a go for my next big trip. I love the symbolism in the words. I feel like I am standing on the edge catching people all day long on some days when I teach.
I found you at the mommy bloggers club. I clicked follow for us ;-)
My 11 year old wants to start a blog.
I have read lots and lots of books. I tried to read this one, but it kind of depressed me. Strange how I got through The Lovely Bones though, cause that one is depressing as all get out! I liked these passages. I may have to give it another shot.
Thanks for stopping by my blog, SITSta!
I'm so glad you shared this with us, because I loved reading that and must now rush out to buy the book. My hubby won't be too happy because that means adding to the enormous pile of to-be-reads piled up all over the house. Oh well, he'll like it and live with it. Thanks for sharing such great prose with me my fellow bibliophile!
Hi Lisa!
Thanks for dropping by my blog and leaving a comment (and trust me -- there are days when I feel cursed too....it's not a bad thing!)
Keep in touch, we can recover together! (Wink!)
~ Jennifer
http://thetoyboxyears.blogspot.com/
Thanks for stopping by - you have a great site!!!
Love your post today. Thanks for sharing...
hey lisa!! i love catcher in the rye...i haven't read that book in ages though!
Hi! I'm visiting from Follow Me Club1. Great blog.
Loved Catcher in the Rye and a friend from college loved it so much, he named his son Holden.
Holden gave many a memory.
I'll have to read that at some point. I've always wanted to, just havent.
Hey Lisa! Sure you can place our image on your blog, but please make sure to place this below the image. :)
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I LOVE Catcher in the Rye. One of my favorite books ever. I first read it when I was around 15 when a pen pal in New York (at the time I lived in California) mailed it to me because he loved it so much.
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