The Catcher in the Rye 麥田守望者

Banned by many schools and libraries when first published in 1951, “The Catcher in the Rye” has been courting controversy for half a century. J.D. Salinger’s soul-searching novel of youthful alienation has long since faced down its initially hostile reception. Nowadays it is one of the most frequently taught books in high school English classes in the United States.

In the deeply conservative early 1950s, many Americans were shocked by “Catcher”’s explicit language and open treatment of delicate issues such as psychological instability and sexuality. Most of the controversy nowadays, however, concerns how the book and its precocious1 hero are interpreted.

Holden Caulfield is the 16-year-old schoolboy whose first-person narrative of his mental breakdown over several days forms the basic plot. Critics generally agree that he is the only substantial character in the novel. However, opinions are divided on the outcome of Holden’s constant raging against the hypocrisy2 of the adult world: Some see his eventual acceptance of reality as a positive view of his maturation, while others view his capitulation3 as an indictment of an oppressive society.

The author has fueled controversy himself by remaining a reclusive4 figure who has refused to comment on his work or publish anything further. Whatever his opinions, there is no doubting the book that made him famous presents a challenge to readers who care to contemplate the emptiness and isolation of the human condition.

Holden Caulfield, the central character in “The Catcher in the Rye”, has been compared with Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain’s naive5 adolescent runaway in the novel of the same name. Both boys are trying to make sense of the world while seeking stability and independence.

At the beginning of “The Catcher in the Rye”, Holden has just been kicked out of yet another boarding school. Having a few days to kill before returning home for the Christmas break, he hops on a train to New York. There he spends his time wandering aimlessly from one brief encounter6 to another, getting progressively more disgusted with what he calls the phoniness of the adult world.

Holden craves the innocence and simplicity of childhood, while at the same time doing a number of “adult” things such as trying to get a drink in a bar and meeting with a prostitute. Eventually, with the help of his younger sister, he comes to the realization that children cannot be protected forever from the imperfections of the adult world. This is not achieved, however, without Holden first driving himself to the brink7 of insanity.

Like “The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn”, “The Catcher in the Rye” is a coming-of-age8 novel. It is written in the language of its time, yet covers issues that are still relevant to young people today. It is likely to retain its status as a thought-provoking, if somewhat depressing, read for quite some time.

1. precocious a. 早熟的

2. hypocrisy n. 偽善

3. capitulation n. 投降

4. reclusive a. 隱遁的

5. naive a. 天真的

6. encounter n. 遭遇，邂逅

7. brink n. 邊緣

8. coming-of-age n. 成年，成熟

在1951年首次出版時被許多學校和圖書館列為禁書的《麥田守望者》，半個世紀以來不斷引發(fā)爭議。塞林格的這本描述年輕人疏離感的內(nèi)省小說自此一直從容地面對開始時對它的敵意?，F(xiàn)在，它卻成為了美國中學英文課程中最常使用的教材之一。

在極度保守的20世紀50年代初期，“守望者”口無遮攔的粗話，和對心理不穩(wěn)定狀態(tài)及性欲等敏感話題的開放態(tài)度，使許多美國人為之震驚。然而，現(xiàn)在有關該書的爭論則大多圍繞如何詮釋這本書及書中早熟的主人翁展開。

小說的主人公霍爾頓·考爾菲德是一名16歲的男學生，書中以第一人稱的方式敘述了他在幾天內(nèi)精神崩潰的經(jīng)過，這就是這本書的基本情節(jié)。書評家普遍認為，霍爾頓是小說中唯一重要的角色。然而，對霍爾頓對成人世界偽善面目的憤恨的結(jié)局，意見出現(xiàn)了分歧：一方認為他最終接受了現(xiàn)實，這是他走向成熟的積極表現(xiàn)；另一方則將他的屈服視為（作者）對沉悶壓抑的社會的一種控訴。

這些爭議因為作者始終保持隱遁的姿態(tài)、拒絕對本書發(fā)表評論或進一步出版其它作品而變得更加激烈。無論作者本人持什么意見，這本讓他一舉成名的著作對于那些有意于仔細思忖人類的狀況的空虛和孤獨的讀者來說，無疑是一大挑戰(zhàn)。

《麥田守望者》的中心人物霍爾頓，時常被拿來與哈克貝利·費恩──馬克吐溫的同名小說（中譯本為《哈可貝利·費恩歷險記》）中那名天真無邪的少年脫韁之馬做比較。兩個男孩都在尋求安定和獨立的過程中，試著弄懂人世的意義。

在《麥田捕手》故事開始時，霍爾頓又一次被一所寄宿學校開除。還得熬上幾天才能回家過圣誕假期，于是他跳上了一輛開往紐約的火車。在紐約，他終日漫無目的地閑逛，在經(jīng)歷了一次又一次短暫的邂逅和遭遇之后，他對被他稱為“虛假”的成人世界越來越反感?；魻栴D渴望孩提時代的天真和單純，同時他卻又做著許多“大人”才做的事，譬如試圖在酒吧里喝酒，還到過妓院。最后，在妹妹的幫助下，他終于明白了：孩子不可能總受到保護，而遠離不完美的成人世界。然而，要不是霍爾頓先把自己推向瘋狂的邊緣，他也不可能會有這種認識。

《麥田守望者》跟《哈克貝利·費恩歷險記》一樣，都是成長紀事小說。盡管它是按當時的語言寫成的，卻仍然包含了許多與現(xiàn)在的年輕人相關的問題。這本書雖然有點壓抑，但作為一本發(fā)人深省的讀物，它勢必在相當長的一段時間里保持其地位。