Language, Voice, and Holden Caulfield - The Catcher in the Rye Part 1: CC English Literature #6 

Just finished reading this goddamn book. Then came to this phony channel. Now it's depressing the hell out of me. It really is. But this narrator is nice. He kills me.

John made a video and all.I was happy.I really was.Boy, was I happy. So I started dancing just for the hell of it.I was just horsing around.

I really hated Holden, really did. He was just so god damn phony. It was kind of ironic, in a way, since he was the one always calling everyone else phony. That damn bastard.

When I finished reading the goddam book. It made me depressed as hell. It really did.

I think it's hilarious how everyone is talking like Holden :).

The part where his little sister came with her suitcase killed me.

"The dead don't stop being dead. They remain dead in the present, and that is how they haunt us." WOW. thanks, John

Just finished reading this goddamn book. It made me feel depressed. It really did.

It's pretty funny how I've also noticed that this is such a love or hate book. This book is black and white with no grey. You either sympathize with Holden and understand him, enjoying the book. Or you despise Holden and hate the book. Pretty funny actually.

I think its worth pointing out that Holden's questions about the ducks is him trying to figure out how to grow up.

The Catcher in the Rye is such a striking novel for me, because it was the first time I read a somewhat aged novel and felt like I could completely relate to the narrator - actually, first time I read any novel and felt that way. And I'm not being a goddamn phony. I mean it for chrissake. I really do.

Ever since I read this, I've been thinking and talking differently and all. It's been making me depressed as hell, it really has.

But seriously, does anybody know where the crummy ducks go in the winter?

I dont know why, but I damn near bawled when I realised that old phoebe was the catcher in the rye for Holden, that what he yearned to be, was what he needed for himself all along. Boy, Old phoebe sure did save his life, before he could go down that deep spiral had he left town.

The Catcher in the Rye came into my life at exactly the right place and time. I was seventeen years old and in the midst of what would become a long-term downward spiral. It was almost surreal how intimately I could relate to the mindset of a fictional teenager whose existence predates my own by half a century. In many ways, I was Holden Caulfield. I felt society bearing down on me, my whole worldview having been warped by this sense of urgency that they were trying to instil. The personalities which occupied a portion of my day-to-day life, whether directly or otherwise, had always displayed this veneer of emptiness that seemed lost on everyone else. I was in such a bad way that if you told me the overwhelming majority of people in our society met the diagnostic criteria for antisocial personality disorder - in other words, that the average person was a sociopath - I would have believed it without a second thought. I used to think I was the only one who felt that way (or at least, part of a very insignificant minority). Holden's character made me realize that I'm not.

This video killed me.

Holden Caulfield would hate this guy

I think that Holden in The Catcher in the Rye has a striking similarity to Charlie in The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Why is everyone talking about my goddamn book? I wish I hadn't written that book. Just leave me alone and let me live my life by myself.

Allie´s death drives Holden into a search to discover the meaning of life. Finally, love is the answer, it can´t be otherwise. Phoebe loves Holden. He loves her. This heals him from all the phony guys he mets. Thank you very much Mr. Green for your great lessons. You open my mind to a huge amount of literary concepts.

I really enjoyed this book when I read it, but didn't pick up on most, if any of these things. I'm always surprised by how much others can pick up on.

For those of you who loved this book and identified with the character, I recommend reading "The Sorrows of Young Werther" by Goethe, the original Caulfield

I'm so glad there's a crash course for this because everyone else in my grade is reading this in English this year but I'm not because I'm taking a college English class, and I really miss stuff like this. I thought analyzing books was stupid until my sophomore year, and now I like it and I don't even get to do it properly.

When I was 16, I read the book because someone told me I was like Holden. I read it. I changed my behavior. He has serious anxiety issues and there’s a reason that he needs someone to listen. It’s an interesting read. I like the book, if not love it, but I do not like when people interpret Holden to be the next coming of a metaphorical Jesus.

I've read "Catcher in the Rye" so many times I can't count. Two of the greatest descriptions always jump out at me when I think of it. How things change all the time, like one time you may see a "gasoline rainbow". Phoebe being "roller skate skinny", god I know exactly what that looks like. Thank you, John Green, you really get it.

Holden is my favorite character in the whole fictional world. He kills me. He really does. ❤️😍

"I was standing on the hill," is not an example of the passive voice; it's an example of the past progressive tense. Voices and tenses are different. For that statement to be written in passive voice would be to write, "The hill was being stood upon by me," in which the original subject and object in the sentence trade places and the verb "to be" is added in front of the already-existing predicate. Two show that voices and tenses are not the same thing, note that the same sentence can be written in the passive voice WITHOUT the past progressive tense as, "The hill was stood upon by me." Best wishes! ~A fellow grammar-nazi and quazi-self-taught-linguist.

i love this book even more after watching this video

"Isn't life a series of images that change as they repeat themselves?" -Warhol

This is my favorite book of high school so far.

The passive voice, like many writing no-nos, is less a rule and more a recommendation. In my experience, no writing technique is a cardinal sin, but some of them can be pretty tricky to pull off.

SPOILERS. I've never been able to figure out if Mr. Antolini is really making an advance on Holden or just admiring/pitying him at that moment. Perhaps he's just drunk and sitting there thinking about the "fall" Holden is about to take and is just rubbing his head in an almost paternal way and Holden misinterprets it because of past molestations or unwanted sexual advances. Or maybe he's ACTUALLY about to try something. I can never decide which I think it is. Thoughts?

When we read this in school I literally asked the teacher to tell us what page it said "kill john Lennon"

As soon as I finished the book, I came to watch this. It's incredible. John Green never ceases to make me excited about Literature. All I want to do is read the book all over again.

I have a feeling Salinger was kinda like Holden because think about: A writer who wrote a famous book and doesn't allow it to become a film. Holden criticizes movies and Hollywood in the book. My conclusion is that Salinger did not like movies. lol

I just finished this book, and it was beautiful to me. I absolutely loved it.

There was this one time when i had to write a summary. I scrolled down to the comment section and everyone was acting like a phony bastard. It killed me, it really did. I swear i was so angry i could have punched them in the face, only i didn't have the guts to do it. You take someone with a phony behavior and when you have a chance to straighten them, Nine out of ten times you don't have the guts to do it.

Crash course literature has brought me so much appreciation for so many classics; would LOVE for another literature series to be made; thanks so much for all the effort put into these videos.

I loved The Catcher in the Rye when I had to study it but I can understand why some people would hate it. It's probably because I could understand Holden Caulfield when I first read it.

The whole "appreciating literature for language rather than plot" part is definitely the case with Vonnegut. He was a master of going at length to describe how a certain social situation between his characters should feel. Using in-depth descriptions of characters, clever and humorous analogies, he was basically able to suck you in and hold your attention, even when the plot was moving slowly or not at all lol...

Thanks John Green, I like your Crash Course series. On Salinger's writing style, it goes subliminally deeper ---. Salinger was in military intelligence during and after WWII. In Germany. Which should give a clue to why his main stream youth literature is not just a story. Holden Caufield's voice is one of confusion. He tells his tale with a multitude homonyms, malaprops, slang, poor grammar, limited vocabulary, and repetitive cliche's. The result is ambiguity. Consider these expressions; "killing me", "it just kills you", "it just killed me". Each time he means something a little different, from laughter, to sentiment, to anger. Another example is the slang word "PHONEY"; its roots maybe either from PHONE, derived from Ancient Greek, meaning sound. Or it comes from FAUX, from French, meaning fake. FAKE SOUND. Another is "horsing around" used for playful fighting or sexual foreplay. The book is so compromised of wordplay that it's fun to root them all out. ;-) The character, Holden Caufield, is shown to have limited grasp of the English language so his understanding of his experiences is confused and/or his ability to express it to others is ambiguous. Again, ;-) The end result is that the truth remains obscured. This is key to understanding Holden's mind, as he says, "Somethings are hard to remember." He blurs the memory of both actions directed at him (Antolini) or actions he's directed at others (Phoebe). Perhaps Salinger is telling us limited language confuses memory. And, perhaps, by extension to society, ambiguous news equals ambiguous history? This is what gets us conspiracy theorists up in the morning. (Note, CiTR in red cover is featured prominently in Kubrick's "The Shining".) Salinger's masterly misuse of the English language is both poetic and hypnotic. Holden switches voices. First person, I; second, you; objective, they. First person gives a sense of story-telling, with the reader actively imagining a story-teller. Second person, makes it directed more intimately at the reader. Second person voice can also act like a command, hence its use in advertising. The objective allows for details at a distance. Here, distance, like passive phrasing slips beneath our conscious radar Yet, as readers we are subconsciously taking in the "I" and the "you". So I, the reader, becomes I, Holden Caulfield. Scary, with the "people shooting hat" and all. The use of what is termed, confusional statements, is a technique used in creating clinical hypnosis scripts. So I'm not at all surprised so many famous U.S. assistants, like John Lennon and JFK, have been connected to this book. ;-) I could go on and on but it would just about kill me. If you read this far, thanks.

This was amazing; I read Catcher in the Rye by myself and most of it went wayy over my head. Thanks for doing this analysis on it - really helps me to understand what Salinger was getting at! :)

Being an aspiring English teacher, showing my students this is amazing. It catches everything that this book and then some cliff notes to go off of. I love this book and this is perfect to start a lesson. I love crash course so much! Good job guys!!!

I feel like just listening to you educates our vocabulary. Like you use such immense vocab and it is literally maturing my choice of words. That's why I love this channel

65 years old now, in high school i read this book( well most of it anyway). During a report of the book, while standing in front of the class, the teacher continually interrupted me every time i pronounced the main characters name, HOLDEN, with a long o sound, saying i was incorrect, and that its pronounced Hayden. Obviously she didnt think much of me, as after the end of my short report, she pronounced in front of the class that i in fact was Holden Caulfield. I often wondered how many others have had that happen to them. Shes long dead now, and i almost wish i could leave a text of the above video on her grave,but obviously it wouldnt really make me feel much better nor would it change her mind. Its late at night, but this is where i am at.

I read Catcher on your suggestion, John, and although it didn't become my new favorite, I really enjoyed it! This analysis is amazing and helpful and I can definitely see from your passion and deep thought why it's one of your favorites!

John, this is so Bronte brilliant. That last bit about "going around and around" really hit home.

I'd bet my left eye that Salinger was gifted. When you say that word, people think about intelligence, but it's much more about feeling everything times 20, feeling like an alien 'cause no one else experiences the world like you do. I cried my a** off when Holden describes how he wants to be the catcher in the rye!

Can you do a crash course on philosophy?

The Catcher in The Rye has an illustrated cover. The red one with the carousel horse.

That...Was no joke, the first time that somebody has explained Catcher in the Rye in a way that made complete sense to me. Thank you, Crash Course, my mind has been completely blown.away.

This commentary/ analysis vlog has helped me a great deal! Thank you! Reading this novel was like poking myself in the eye with a stick and I was unable to get into the book. Unable to extract such vivid character from the events and actions of the protagonist. GREAT help!

I loved this godamn book, I really did. Most books are pretty crumby, but this one killed me.

As I read such negative comments about a book that touched me so deeply, I wonder why the comments ARE so negative. Did they read the book at a time in their lives that wasn't fit for the message of the novel? Perhaps Holden IS the whiny child-like brat many make him out to be. All I know is the Catcher in the Rye is sitting in my lap and for the second time Holden will talk to me in the way only he knows how, and I am ready to hear him.

John, the fondest words of praise I can think of is that your videos are like my favorite books: I cannot imagine not watching them again.

I love this series! English is a second language in my country, hence not many are really interested in classical literature. These videos helped me understand them better in an easy, fun and entertaining way. Having John Green hosting it, what more can I say? Love from Malaysia!

This is my favourite book of all time.

It's sad that I am so numb to fowl language, that I don't even notice the foul language until you add the authors name in its place.

I've just finished reading the book for the first time at the age of 31... it's a great piece of literature and your analysis is brilliant!

This video is amazing ! Everything you say reminds me why The Catcher In The Rye is one of my favourite novels. A must-read!!

So I know this series is over, but I think John should do Crash Courses for his own books.

I started crying at 8:30 -ish and I honestly don't know why

Mr. Green, thank you so much for speaking at a slower pace. As a result, I was greatly more able to understand your thoughts on a much loved book!

I want to be an English teacher, if only to be so impassioned about sharing like you. This is nothing short of amazing. Thank you.

the best book that I've read so far.

So, does it say to kill John Lennon?

I've just read this book for English 11 and it's the definitely the best book that I've ever studied at school. There's something so intriguing and touching about Holden's narractive.

I have just watched this video because a student cited it in a research paper and argued "the reason I was standing..." is the passive voice. It is NOT the passive voice. It is the past progressive tense in the active voice. To all students out there - use scholarly sources for your research. That means pear reviews texts with a list of references at the end - something that has been review by experts. this video is not a scholarly source of information. It contains some good information but it is more geared to entertainment than academics.

Greetings from the Czech Republic! Not Czechoslovakia, nor Chechnya. CrashCourse is great! Keep up the good work!

That example was not in fact the passive voice, that would look something more like this "Standing was being done by me..." The use of the gerund here is simply an indication of an ongoing event in the past, which we might liken to, in full, the (past) imperfect tense, in the indicative mood, and in the active voice. Just had to say. That's not to say that the language used does not indicate a passivity, but strictly speaking, it is not the passive voice.

thank u for making me realize why i love this book

This is my very favorite video. Not only do I love John Green with a passion that controls my very soul, but because I love this book with said passion.

Is it just me? or do all youtube vloggers talk fast and edit their videos in the exact same choppy style?

People always dislike books that they don't understand...

This basically just rescued my English coursework, cheers John Green 🙌

The Fault in Our Stars in Bulgarian is a very nice touch. I loved the book as well!

Do crash course film

I just knew in my goddamned guts that I'd get all this phony stuff in the comments. I just knew it. But when I actually read it all, it killed me.

man you have a great ability to bring out ideas with single words which is not hard but to do it so fast and abundantly is amazing

I had to read this for school and this is SO eye opening! Thank you.

You should make a video on Slaughterhouse five, good book.

Does anyone realize that the captions options are hilarious and have their own jokes within them?

I was so excited to watch this video, I kept horsing around. But then when I got to the video I turned away. I wasn't in the mood. You have to be in the mood for that kind of stuff. It really knocked me out.

I love this video. The Catcher in the Rye is one of my favorites, but I realized just now how much of the more subtle details I missed.

John says "so Bronte happy" and then "so damn happy" within like 5 seconds from each other xD Anyway, even with John's help, I still don't see the appeal of the book.

"and all"

I'm finally starting to understand the catcher in the rye. Thanks John!

I love books they open up a world of possibilities, you can imagine what the characters look like and I love the feel of the pages

I HATED the way this book was written. Not just disliked, absolutely despised. I thought that the "and all", "sorta", and "phony" was just to express that Holden was just a dim, angsty teenage boy. But now i realise that these words are used as symbols in a way. Most authors often use concrete things as symbols; The Great Gatsby's green light, The Hunger Games' mockingjay. I have a new appreciation for Salinger because he used actual diction as a symbol. These symbols are subtle even though some are used nearly 180 times throughout the novel. Anyways thanks Green :)

"I was standing" is merely past tense, not passive voice...

I read this book for my summer reading list, when I finished it I really didn't understand the book. This painted a better picture for me. Thank you cc and dftba!

im so glad i found this. i read TCITR two months ago and didn't understand why was such a worldwide famous book. so i guess i needed this so as to appreciate it :)

Mr Green! Mr Green! Sir, sir! How is "The reason I was standing way up on Thomsen Hill, instead of down at the game..." passive voice? Passive voice is where the subject of the sentence is suppressed, as in "posts are updated every Wednesday."

You've made me respect the book more, but I still hated how emo the kid was when I read it. He was so masterful at making you feel how to one wanted to listen to Holden, I couldn't pay attention to him.

there was absolutely no reason why i watched this....but i loved it and i you totally explained why i loved this book so much when i read it ten years ago...touche sir!

to be honest, I used to like reading. after puberty I never grabbed any literature but study course books. the way you talk about novels that I need to read for my study make me get more interested in reading and thinking about how and why a writer wrote it that way.

Is that blue book the Bulgarian translation of The Fault in Our Stars, or am I going crazy? :D

What a great book. I love the way he... catches all that freakin' rye!!!

I love everything you do John Green, thank you!!!

Man, that going around and around part made me think. Thanks for this video, guys!