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mattducz t1_ixqzrqu wrote

Reply to comment by ViskerRatio in I love The Catcher in the Rye by zak_zman

He’s not a whiny loser, he’s a mentally unstable child.

Jesus, I just explained exactly how shitty people like you are and you doubled down on it.

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ViskerRatio t1_ixr1817 wrote

I think you're completely missing the point of the book. It's like those people who watch Fight Club and think it would be cool to get their friends together and beat up each other up in the basement.

The point is that you don't want to be Holden Caulfield and that his ways of dealing with his problems are counter-productive. You're supposed to read The Catcher in the Rye and conclude "I don't want to be a whiny loser like Holden Caulfield" - while seeing the parallels in your own life that could result in that outcome.

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RevHenryMagoo t1_ixri9id wrote

JD Salinger: Hey everyone! This child is such a loser!!! You don’t want to be like him, do ya??? Better straighten up, losers.

Hmmmm. Maybe you don’t understand the point of the book.

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mattducz t1_ixr3hlu wrote

Honestly if you think books have one solidly-defined meaning with no other possible interpretations, you are just plain wrong—and quite shallow, at that.

Edit: you are correct that I wouldn’t want to be Holden—but not because he sucks…but because I feel awful for him. Again, if you don’t get that, it says a lot about how you see and treat others.

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