As I sit in my classroom on this foggy January Midwest morning, I begin to consider whether or not weather and mood affects the way we read literature. It’s kind of random thought I get that, but it makes sense that this would happen.

My seniors are starting a unit on the Salinger novel The Catcher in the Rye. I really enjoy this book, but I wonder if the students will be influenced by the mood of the outside world. I am thinking that it is almost a given that people would not feel the same reading an emotional text on a sunnier day. Let’s face it, Holden Caulfield is not the most uplifting main character. He tends to have a negative attitude, he is depressed, and he feels lost in a world that does not seem to understand him.

I am not sure if this is just the schools that I have attended or taught at, but most of the material we read is not the happily ever after sort of stories. There is no predictable love story from Jane Austen or the funny satire from Twain or Wilde. It is a whole lot of murder, death , kill sorts of stories. Sophomore curriculum contains Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, and “Julius Caesar.” Some of the short stories are “A Lamb to the Slaughter” and “The Landlady” by Dahl. “The Masque of the Red Death” from Poe. Not a happy ending in sight. This is the same for the stories for the other three grade levels as well.

I try to remember my time as a student and whether the weather played a part in my assessment of the stories and novels I read. I am sure it was a factor. As a teacher, I know that reading the sad, old dog chapter in Of Mice and Men is difficult on a good day and even worse on a day like today. I am pretty convinced that writers all tend to lead lives full of emotion both good and bad. Perhaps I am just overthinking this whole subject matter. I tend to be a bit dramatic myself. I do have a Poe alter(for lack of a better word) in my classroom after all.

If this topic does nothing but make you consider how your surroundings affect your mood I will have at least accomplished my goal. For any of you who are teachers, it may be a discussion topic you can use. All in all I do believe that it is almost impossible for our surroundings not to affect us. We are a product of our environment and the people we are associated with. Although much of what I teach is not cheery, I do find it important to read texts that challenge us to think. Holden Caulfield may be an annoying teenager to some, but I see all of us in him. If you have never read The Catcher in the Rye, I challenge you to pick it up and give it a try. Just pick a sunny day. You will thank me later.

Until Next time,

Cat