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The_Pirate_Cowboy t1_ixq82pt wrote

Catcher in the Rye, was honestly one of those books that as a High Schooler, I just hated. Holden was to me, the biggest whiner. I was at the time dealing with my own shit and because of the precarious nature of my situation, venting, complaining or otherwise bemoaning my situation would've done much more bad than good. As I've gotten older my sympathy for Holden has honestly shifted, catcher in the rye became something I appreciated more.

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missanthropocenex t1_ixqljft wrote

Maybe I read it wrong but to me, Holden was never someone we were supposed to fully align with. He’s even sort of an unreliable narrator I would even say. I think we’re always meant to laugh at him a bit.

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The_Pirate_Cowboy t1_ixqltqt wrote

I disagree. He's troubled, yes, unreliable, yes but there are aspects of his character that are good. It's clear he isn't a bad kid, but a troubled one.

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Hannig4n t1_ixrvu5e wrote

Same exact experience here. When I read it in highschool, I found him whiny and annoying. It wasn’t until I re-read it as an adult that I was able to empathize with him.

It also helped that as a highschooler, I viewed him as a peer while as an adult I viewed him as the traumatized kid he is.

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The_Pirate_Cowboy t1_ixtbq4f wrote

Dude, as a kid I was so fucked up and I didn't know how wrong things were, you know. I viewed any of that touchy feely stuff as whining. It wasn't until I spent enough time away from my parents to dive into my own soul.

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