Wtf this book sucks, the protagonist is a poopyhead

>>8897361
don't identify with Holden, examine him. listen to what he says and weigh it against his actions. pay special attention to the theme resolution in the final scene(the carousel & the brass ring) and see how that theme played out in Holden's experiences throughout the book in his interactions with the other characters; younger, same age, and older than himself

Is the "you're supposed to hate Holden" meme the worst thing to happen in modern lit?

>>8897361
I just started reading this and he seems like the school shooter type

>>8897386
>>8897361
>Carousel & brass ring
shit I meant the "Catcher in the Rye" scene when he's talking with his sister and name-drops the title, my bad.
The carousel and brass ring scene still plays into that thematic resolution though

He violently rapes his sister Phoebe

>>8897394
It's not just /lit/ it's the world. and Reddit
Tons of people think they have the book figured out, thinking they should hate Holden, or go in thinking they are supposed to.
I don't see how anyone can hate Holden. He's nice for the entire book. I can't think of one actual bad thing he does.
He doesn't even complain that much when shitty things happen to him. He's a great fucking guy.

>>8897540
I came out of the book liking him, or at the very least understanding him. But i think you're right, when it was discussed in my lit class, everyone said they were extremely annoyed by Holden

>>8897540
Remember, He socked Schalidater (sorry for butchering that name) but I think this was because he thought Schalidater and had sex with Jane.

Which he does get karma when the elevator guy punches him and takes his money.

But, I don't know - I'm only on Chapter 15.

>>8898050
But he didn't even sock him, he missed and got his ass beat immediately.

Does anyone else think that he would be an avid user of /b/ if he was alive today? He seems like the type who would. Depression, few friends, suicidal thoughts, and a virgin.

>>8898076
Nah he'd sperg out the first time he sees "fuck" or lolicon

>>8897540
>>8897968
>>8898050
>>8898066

Don't forget the part when he raped his sister Phoebe.

He never does, stop trying to troll with this thread

>>8898092
I'm not an oldfag. Where did this meme come from and why is it a thing?

>>8897361
wtf i hate Catcher in the Rye now

Is this book overrated or do people just misinterpret it all the time?

>>8898114
People misinterpret it frequently, or get the "this guy's a douche bag" mentality stuck in their heads for the whole book. Although he partially deserves what he gets, by judging people and branding them phoneys. But this isn't really different to us calling people normies.

>>8898099
A.M. Pinecone used to write a catalog for /lit/. In one of his articles, he does a Q&A where he basically says that Holden rapes his sister Phoebe in The Catcher and the Rye, citing his Freudian slips and tendencies as an unreliable narrator. I'll see if I can find you the article; I knew I had it around somewhere.

>>8898099
Here you are.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0aJnaOl7gykUHhXbzA5OTNZalU/view?usp=sharing

Although it's not just Pinecone that holds this belief, it's also been discussed on other threads, and is a widely accepted theory around 4chan.

http://4archive.org/board/lit/thread/7405680
https://warosu.org/lit/thread/S4528424

>>8897361
>the protagonist is a poopyhead

I think Nabokov said the same thing, actually

I really think that most people took pieces out of context there, or are overthinking it, or even are just totally convinced that he is and there is no way to convince them that he isn't.

>>8898197
>Although it's not just Pinecone that holds this belief
I think it is.
I've literally never seen anyone who actually thought this and wasn't just meme posting.

>>8898197
Well hot damn. I didn't catch that when I read it for my lit class. And my professor didn't mention it. I may have to go back and read it again through a new lens

Thanks for the links

>>8898280
>getting memed

>>8898290
Ah man. I feel like someone just gave me the time when i didn't really want the time at all

>>8898280
He never does, it's a waste of time reading. Although the dad-rape thing may be valid, the "raped his sister thing" is all from incorrect context and overthinking

>>8898280
No problem.

Although most of /lit/'s memes are served with a side of serious ("Start with the Greeks" being the most notorious example) I wouldn't blame you for thinking that this one's just a phony, considering its implications.

>>8898050
Stradlaster or whatever was a major asshole. He deserved to be punched, even though Holden didn't do it.

>>8898304

And a crumby phony at that.

>>8898197
Don't buy it one bit