Opinion of "Catcher in the Rye"

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Catcher in the Rye: a widely misunderstood, controversial book dealing with the psyche of a standard American teenager that deals with social alienation and the desire to keep hold of one's innocence, or a vastly overrated book that became famous because some of the readers murdered people?

[Mike Thick]

Massive FB, a genuine masterpiece

[Antonio the Sixth]

Option 3 (not an American)

[Clark Kent]

Terrible. I hated it, and Holden Caulfield is a terrible character.

[Shameless Lefty Hack]

Terrible. I hated it, and Holden Caulfield is a terrible character.

[Slow Learner]

Salinger's game show is far superior.

[Tartarus Sauce]

Holden Caulfield is one of the most obnoxiously smug characters ever created. Salinger did a little bit too good a job at capturing teenage angst.

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

Never read it, or at least don't remember reading it.

[evergreenarbor]

Holden Caulfield is one of the most obnoxiously smug characters ever created. Salinger did a little bit too good a job at capturing teenage angst.

[Crumpets]

Catcher in the Rye: a widely misunderstood, controversial book dealing with the psyche of a standard American teenager that deals with social alienation and the desire to keep hold of one's innocence, or a vastly overrated book that became famous because some of the readers murdered people?

Aaaannd.. there you have why I don't like it. As a book, it's fine. But trying to make Holden Caufield into some representation of an average American teenager is patently awful.

So pretty much this:

Holden Caulfield is one of the most obnoxiously smug characters ever created.

[Xing]

Holden Caulfield is one of the most obnoxiously smug characters ever created. Salinger did a little bit too good a job at capturing teenage angst.

[Alcon]

Holden Caulfield is one of the most obnoxiously smug characters ever created. Salinger did a little bit too good a job at capturing teenage angst.

So much this.  This is probably the only canonical book I actively hated.  I've never understood why so many people found Holden Caulfield to be a sanctuary of reliability in their teenage years.  What teenager isn't surrounded by people who think everyone else is full of sh**t but lack any capacity for self-criticism at all?

[RI]

The best argument for banning books I've ever run across. Atrocious.

[Blair]

This book killed John Lennon!

[Mr. Smith]

Never got to this one, believe it or not.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Based on what people are saying, I think I'd hate it too.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Terrible. I hated it, and Holden Caulfield is a terrible character.

[This account no longer in use.]

The best argument for banning books I've ever run across. Atrocious.

hahaha ok there bud, i think you've had a bit too much fascism today

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Boring, overrated, and lame. I have read it three times and for the life of me cannot understand the appeal.

[Virginiá]

My entire opinion of this book:

Meh

[RFayette]

Boring, overrated, and lame. I have read it three times and for the life of me cannot understand the appeal.

[RaphaelDLG]

I get why people don't like it, but I did.  I haven't read it in quite a few years, but at the time, I thought the character's descent into madness and weak/futile struggle against a sh**tty, innocence-defiling, dissatisfying, phony world was poignant.  Different strokes, brah.

[RaphaelDLG]

This book killed John Lennon!

The scene in South Park where Butters reads Catcher in the Rye and then all of the sudden feels the need to kill John Lennon and Ronald Reagan is priceless.

Catcher in the Rye: a widely misunderstood, controversial book dealing with the psyche of a standard American teenager that deals with social alienation and the desire to keep hold of one's innocence, or a vastly overrated book that became famous because some of the readers murdered people?

Aaaannd.. there you have why I don't like it. As a book, it's fine. But trying to make Holden Caufield into some representation of an average American teenager is patently awful.

So pretty much this:

Holden Caulfield is one of the most obnoxiously smug characters ever created.

In all fairness, I don't think Salinger was trying to make Holden Caulfield an avatar for all teenagers in the fifties, that came later with critics and English teachers.  And I didn't read the character as smug, more as a crazy sad sack.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

On the subject of South Park,  I once attempted to write a fanfiction of "Scroty McBoogerBalls" in High School in which I took the ten or so quotes from the book stated in the episode and tried to expand it in the hopes that Matt and Trey might pick up what I wrote and publish it as some lame collectors item for the fans.

That idea doesn't sound as dumb to me as did at the time. Maybe I'm regressing maturity wise. Or maybe I have a good idea .

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

My two friends read this and both said it's overrated.