The Catcher in the Rye

"I remember around three o'clock that afternoon I was standing way the hell up on top of Thomsen Hill, right next to this crazy cannon that was in the Revolutionary War and all."

Sketches and thumbnails from my overly ambitious, unfinished, but well meaning attempt to illustrate the Catcher in the Rye while a student at RISD back in 1986 or 87. I thought a apropos day to revisit them.

"You're goddam right they don't" Horwitz said, and drove off like a bat out of hell. He was about the touchiest guy I ever met. Everything you said made him sore."


“Catholics are always trying to find out if you're a Catholic.”


"Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules."


"I hope to hell when I do die somebody has sense enough to just dump me in the river or something. "


"He started cleaning his fingernails with the end of a match. He was always cleaning his fingernails."


"I'm very sorry, sir…" he said, and beat it on me. I didn't hold it against him, though. They lose their jobs if they get caught selling to a minor. I'm a goddam minor."


"You could see the whole field from there, and you could see the two teams bashing each other all over the place."

4 comments:

  1. It's one of my favorite books. I don't remember why. In fact, I don't really remember much about the book except that, when I finished it, I really liked it.

    Of maybe I just think I'm supposed to like it, because it's such an acclaimed book.

    Sigh... I need more coffee.

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  2. These are fabulous! I loved the body dumped in the river one the best. Such a great book. And a great job illustrating a timeless character :)

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  3. These are great! I plan on showing them to my students--we just finished Catcher a few weeks ago.

    Here's a little project we worked on in class concerning the book:

    http://www.mrbramesblog.org/2011/04/using-holden-caulfield-phoniness.html

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  4. J.D. Salinger has rightfully been one of the most highly praised authors of the 20th century.

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