In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the author uses a character named Faber. An old college professor, to describe what he believes the effect a quality book should have. He is speaking with Montag, the main character in the book, in a dystopian society where books are burned by firemen. Because Montag had been recently “enlightened”, and no longer believed in the principles of the society, he was unsure of his feelings about books, or what meaning they held.
In an attempt to explain, Faber says that a quality should “stitch the patches of the universe together for us. This would seem to be true for Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, a critically acclaimed book, which has been translated into almost all of the languages of the world, selling 250,000 copies every year, and in total has sold over 65 million books.
Yet, despite the large success of this book, I did not experience the effect that Faber said I should. This is troubling, because the book has sold so many times, that one would assume all the people who bought the book thought it was quality. And further, one would assume it is still relevant in literature today because it was quality.
So, if a critically acclaimed book such as Catcher in the Rye does not match Faber’s definition of quality, why is it so famous? Does Catcher in the Rye introduce a new type of quality seperate to Faber’s ideas?
While some may argue that Catcher in the Rye does “stitch the patches of the universe together”, the more intriguing argument is that Catcher in the Rye introduces a new type of quality separate to those mentioned by Faber; created by the controversy it caused due to the high quantity of mature content, and the way it used its themes to contradict societal ideals, which was outside the realm of what a book did at the time.
To explore how Catcher in the Rye brings about this new type of quality, we have to identify and explain how each part of the book makes it quality. Once we have explained what parts make it quality, and why those parts make the book quality, then we can properly understand the type of quality that Catcher in the Rye introduces.
Catcher in the Rye introduces a new type of quality because of the high levels of mature content. Holden, a teenager in the 40’s, is shown attempting to get drinks, smoking, hiring prostitutes, and hitting on older women (Salinger 56, 69, 91). On top of that, we received a very cynical tone from Holden, one which is not expected from a teenager, and one which is not incredibly common in adults regardless (Salinger 9, 23).
While seeing this type of material in a book coming from a teenager does not “stitch the patches of the universe together” for us, it does spark conversation, and it is more or less interesting. It brings something new to the realm of books; something, which at that time, was not very common, and by taking a look at the sales of the book, people have found that interesting. Bringing something new to the scene of literature was something not done often, and the way that Catcher in the Rye performs this task makes it have quality. The recklessness of the main character combined with the overarching themes of the book is what really made this book quality, however.
The Catcher in the Rye introduces a new type of quality because of the overarching themes, which ultimately contradict societal ideals at the time, and continue to contradict societal ideals in regards to wealth. Holden has a lot of money, and spends it frequently throughout his trip to NYC (Salinger 114).
