Does anyone else find it ironic how many teenagers and young adults hate on this book because they think it appeals exclusively to teenagers and young adults, while older readers generally accept its position as a classic of the 20th century?
>hate on
Stopped reading.
Ironic... not really. What gets me is that people seem to completely misunderstand the book. People constantly complain that he's a whiny bitch, but no. I can't think of a better description of a teenager on the cusp of adulthood, afraid of the responsibility and his indoctrination into a perceived world where no one is honest with each other and deeply unhappy.
Teenagers want to be cool, maybe. Adults will reread it and think, oh yeah, that's what it was like.
I think it stems from this expectation that protagonists are supposed to be likeable. Deeply troubling for me, because I think that teaching empathy is one of the greatest functions of lit.
>>9020495
I read this freshman year of high school. I found it to be /comfy/ and I enjoyed it.
>>9022134
My opinion of the book has not changed since I read it