I read this article in the New York Times a few weeks ago and thought to myself - they just took the words right out of my mouth! I read Catcher in the Rye when I was in high school. And old crush thought it was the greatest book ever and I decided to give it a whirl. I was more of the Silvia Plath camp, and felt that Catcher was like The Bell Jar if written by a neurotic yet narcissistic boy. While I enjoyed the story and concept, Holden was someone I wanted to punch in the face. This boy, with all his privileges, could find something to complain about in everything. And his repetative "goddamns" were to him what "Gosh!" was to that obnoxious imbecile - Napoleon Dynamite. Simply put, these guys deserved to get their asses kicked. Now, I know some people (e.g. one of my best friends) feel that there is no way to like Catcher without loving Holden, but I think there is. I recognize the book as an amazing work of literature, and recognize that Salinger is a talent for writing it, but I also realize that his talents went farther because he was able to create such a multi-sided character who one must either love or hate, but still is captivating enough to want people wanting to know where it all goes. Since I read the book as a 16 year old, I realize it might be time to re-read it with different eyes. Maybe I was too young and immature to understand the complexities of Caufield. Chances are, though, that i'll just really want to punch him again.
