In the Rye
Originally intended for adults, it is often read by adolescents for its themes of angst and alienation, and as a critique of superficiality in society. The novel also deals with complex issues of innocence, identity, belonging, loss, connection, sex, and depression.
~ Wikipedia, The Catcher in the Rye
It was five years after I had photographed a barefoot young woman reading in a Barcelona park before I realized she was holding a book with a recognizable English title. When I first read The Catcher in the Rye myself, decades before making the photograph, I wanted to slap some sense into Holden Caulfield; now, I have more sympathy.
It’s been a strange five years since I saw her reading in that park. Facts became false opinions, truth became fake news. A pandemic, empty streets and highways, the loss of friends and family. For a while, mask wearing became more ubiquitous on the sidewalks than people looking at their phones. An insurrection, a war in Europe, extreme weather.
Some believe that the ending of Catcher in the Rye is optimistic. Let’s hope they are right.
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