Catcher In The Rye - A Redux

J.D. Salinger's other fiction might be largely unread, but Catcher in the Rye starring Holden Caulfield has managed to fascinate one generation of adolescents after another for a half-century and counting.

Interesting that Iam writing about this book after a long time that I’ve actually read it. Well, it was triggered when conversing with a friend and some spare time at office.

This book has been one of the most frequently challenged by would-be book banners, and one of the most misunderstood books of the 20th century. The renowned book probably has posted higher sales figures than any other serious American novel; this is as true now, at a time when it clips along at a brisk 250,000 copies a year, as it was when it appeared in 1951.
What accounts for The Catcher in the Rye's phenomenal success? No doubt it has something to do with the way that young readers identify with Holden Caulfield, the novel's confused, desperate, funny and ultimately lovable protagonist. In his war against everything that is phony and sad, he provides an etiquette book for those who see themselves reflected in his doomed situation and a point of reference for those who have, for better or worse, moved beyond the pains of adolescence to those of adulthood.

To summarize the plotline, Holden Caulfield about to be kicked out of yet another boarding school for flunking most of his courses, decides not to wait until the end of term, and takes off for his hometown, Manhattan, a few days early. He figures he'll hole up in a cheap hotel, look up a few friends, and then arrive home on time. But Holden is deeply troubled, by the death of his beloved younger brother from leukemia, as well as the suicide of a classmate and alone in an uncaring city his already fragile psyche begins to unravel.

The book has been challenged and banned for many reasons over the years in the content advisories, though by today's standards it might not even merit a PG-13 if it were a movie (and, oddly for a book this popular, it has never been filmed). But those who challenge it, fail to see the forest for the little swearword trees. They have called Holden a cynical teenager, when in fact he is such a compassionate innocent individual, that he can hardly cope with the cynical world: so innocent and so alone that he tries to get a prostitute to just chat and keep him company! Desperately lonely, adrift in what seems to him an uncaring world, he has been through some terrible experiences and no one at all seems to have noticed that he is crumbling. This explains his emotional outbursts, cynicism and poignancy.

When you are through with the book, Salinger’s genius comes through. Considering the book was written in 1951, when "teen" and "adolescent" were barely concepts in the American mind, Salinger captured the adolescent voice and way of thinking more perfectly, and more poignantly, than just about anyone before or since. Holden Caulfield holds a place in the adolescent psyche as an exquisitely rendered character with whom nearly anyone can identify.

This is an excerpt from the book, where Holden’s imagines him to be doing something that really likes because it’s sans any “phoniness” that he has come across in his life, so often.

“Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around -- nobody big, I mean -- except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff -- I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going. I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.”

Catcher In The Rye, is truly, a Masterpiece.

Lessons from 'The Boss'

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band held a concert recently at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Analyze this. Boss, as Bruce Springsteen is popularly known, a 58 year old singer gives you an impressive management lesson on how the best in the business can stay intimately connected to their market. Watching him perform makes you draw a parallel to a venerable aging brand (think GE, IBM, and Chevy) with a huge, rabidly loyal customer base and how they can keep getting better.

In between dancing and singing and shouting and cheering, if you pay attention there are few corporate lessons in there.

Never let your customers rest. When Springsteen performs, most of his songs end like this: "1-2-3-4!" That's because he's starting the next song before the current one has even ended. The Boss continually races to the back of the stage to change guitars, so there's no lull in the cadence of the show. In the audience, nobody sits down or gets a breather until the man on stage decides it's time. By keeping the crowd on its toes, the band keeps demand at a fever pitch -- kind of the way Apple does, with its rapid flow of new gizmos pushing older products out of the way. But with way better buzz.

Innovate. Springsteen is brilliant at expanding his brand image without ever shifting his center of gravity. His songs rarely stray from rock-'n'-roll territory, but at the Garden, he enriched the familiar with fiddles and other folksy touches. One standout song was "Reason to Believe" -- an old ballad completely reimagined as a harder-edged blues riff. Springsteen's knack for turning old material into something completely new seems like a magic touch compared with all the lame efforts to create hip, modern variations of old TV shows or movies. Instead of copying success, he creates it all over again.

Give the people what they want. Experiments get a more welcome reception when mingled with something familiar. Throughout the show, Springsteen deftly blended unembellished hits such as "Badlands" and "Born to Run," performed pretty much the way everybody knows them, with darker, topical music; after appeasing his conscience, he quickly reverted to happier songs such as "The Promised Land" (irony intended, I presume) and "Dancing in the Dark." The result: His message of protest got across without turning anybody off.

Share credit. There's been a lot of hype about Springsteen reuniting with his famed E Street Band for the first full tour since 2003, but come on -- Springsteen, the man, is the draw, pure and simple. Still, this is one maestro who spreads the glory across the stage. Not once during the show does a spotlight shine on Springsteen alone. He continually calls out "Steve," "Clarence" and the other band members. And when they bow at the end, they bow together. It's a pretty neat marketing trick to create a cult of personality around somebody known for humility. Quick -- can anyone name a CEO able to pull that off?

Set expectations. Then reset them. And reset them. And . . . The Garden concert ended after about two hours -- prompting groans in the crowd, even though it was an electrifying show. "He's getting old," one fan fretted. There were jokes about Metamucil and Geritol -- not because the Boss ever seemed tired but because this wasn't the kind of marathon, three-hour-plus jam fest he used to play in his heyday. Springsteen has driven customer satisfaction so high that he can deliver a great product and still disappoint his customers. I don't know what you do about that, but it's the kind of problem most corporations would love to have.

Love what you do. Just a hunch, but I have a feeling that Springsteen thoroughly enjoys his job -- not something you can say about a lot of people asking you to spend $15 or $100 for their products. We all know that enthusiasm is contagious, and if you're pumped about what you do, those around you are more likely to twist and shout right along with you. Not to mention keep on spending.

On a lighter note, these would definitely help in skipping a few management classes !