“Oh, we all hated Holden in my class. We just wanted to tell him, ‘Shut up and take your Prozac.’”

[afterannabel]

I didn't really enjoy The Catcher in the Rye the first time I read it. I guess it just wasn't the right time. I loved it the second time though, and while not my favorite Salinger book (that would be Franny and Zooey) it's still special to me. The New York Times recently published an article (Get a Life, Holden Caulfield) tangentially related to

Comments

[dominanefret]

honestly.. I hated Catcher in the Rye, and mostly it was because of Holden. Even being a depressed teenager I couldn't relate to him at all, I really just thought he was a whiny brat with a sense of entitlement and wanted to punch him in the face.

I've tried rereading it to see if I will like it more, but can never get through it a full second time, I honesty dislike the book that much.

[tamaracat]

youth today....

they can't identify with holden like we did because they have entirely too much stimulation so there isn't enough time to wallow. my theory.

[bonnie_rocks]

This.

~*::Meow::*~

[westmarked]

I'm joining the "I never got what was so special about Catcher in the Rye camp. I think the main reason for its fame was its subversive quality--and Catcher is quite tame by today's standards, so it lost its value.

I don't think it's a matter of antiheroes being suddenly unrelateable. I like antiheroes. I just don't like Holden.

[dominanefret]

agreed.