Is Holden Caulfield a profound intellectual or just a spoiled brat?

>>9157869
he was a fucking kid. a dumb juvenile.

I notice that it's always Holden Caulfield types who hate him most intensely

>>9157869
Holden, in his profoundly puerile musings, actually got everything right.

>>9157869
Neither, he's an average teenager.

>>9157869

That was one of the last FG episodes that was actually decent.

>>9157869
Child rapist.

>>9157869

He was special. He wanted to be different.

In my heart he will always be Holden Caufield.

holden is such a whiny douche I mean he has nothing to complain about. hes spoiled and nnoying. 0/1 dont read worst book ever.

>>9157869
he was depressed. any other interpretation is retarded.

>>9157869
Emo fedora

quality thread

>>9158093
Why would you have to agree with the protagonist for the book to be good?

>>9157869
He is a supreme gentleman.

>>9157869
it's the prototypical white ennui-ridden middle-upper class kid who judges others excessively and himself aka jd salinger today (is he still alive? bless his grungey soul).

Fuck my life
>>9157871
fp;bp

>>9158119

Just calling him another depressed teenager is simplifying it. The core of Holden's problem is that he distrusts the adult world. He links it with death and dishonesty (phoniness). The death of his little brother and his college buddy are obviously traumatic events to him. Also there's the implied sexual abuse.

Seriously, what is it about this book that makes people stupid? It's not a difficult book to analyze at all, and it wears its symbols and themes on its sleeve well, but many people are just repulsed by it. Do people hate teenagers that much?

>>9158222
teenagers are fucking terrible have you met one?

>>9158222
I am simplifying it, but that's what he was - depressed. (Explained in the fewest words possible)

>>9157869
It's entirely possible to be both the same time.

You will focus on whatever aspect you feel confirms your perspective.

>>9157869
why would anyone even think that Holden is meant to be read as a "profound intellectual"
i dont particularly like catcher in the rye but everyone who complains about it because they don't like the main character is a fucking retard

Plebs are used to reading self insert YA books where the MC is usually a kind, misunderstood genius who gets grounded unfairly and kills dragons. That's why people freak out about Holden.
Also high schools teachers are "teachers."

>>9158146
Because plebs have to 'relate' to the characters.

I swear to god people who call him whiny have never actually read the book. His brother died and he witnessed a suicide, and his trust was betrayed by a mentor who revealed himself to have sexual interest in him. His entire character is the culmination of these successive traumas, and the book itself deals with his nervous breakdown as he attempts to cope with these issues with little to no support.

>>9158222
The sexual abuse theme is just a meme right?

>>9157869
Neither. He's a young man on the cusp of adulthood, afraid of becoming an adult.

Holden never said or did anything that would've been considered "deep and profound".

>>9158171
>all lower case
>"white"
>edgy
>contrived, affected writing style
Why do you Tumblrs keep coming to /lit/?

>>9161401
/lit/ is receiving more women visitors lately. Personally I don't mind it. I'm here for books and they're recommending new stuff, so w/e. If political threads sink in caliber, not my problem.

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227KB, 500x667px

>>9160688
the raping phoebe thing is a maymay and a half, but he str8 up admits that he has had some form of sexual abuse in the past

>>9161439
Tumblr have fucking terrible taste though, as indicated by the retard that was being discussed in the first place.