Why I hated The Catcher in the Rye
If anyone does give you advice, it’s sure to be something that annoys the hell out of you. It really does. For instance, someone will tell you enjoy your high school experience. They’ll tell you to not worry so much about your grades and just do what you like and all. Strictly for the birds. Sure, it sounds good to follow your passions and all, but try doing it and see what happens. When you flunk out, try telling your parents that you were “following your passions.” They’ll laugh their asses off and send you to military school.
Take this guy Nick Miller, the one who wrote this post. Graduated from high school in 2018 and now goes to a swanky school in St. Louis (Wash U). Very big deal. He wrote this post about “living in the moment and experiencing life as it comes.” That’s rich. Good one, Nicky boy. What a phony.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go find the ducks in Central Park.
- H.C.
(Haha. Nick's actually a great guy and you should read his post! C.H.)
I hated The Catcher in the Rye. I thought Holden Caulfield was an idiot. I knew it was supposedly a “classic” but I didn’t understand why Mr. Harrington was making us read this shit. He knew I didn’t like the book; I think he sensed that it stressed me out.
But in high school, I prided myself on handling stress. I never let myself get too overwhelmed with work because I managed my time and I worked quickly, all so I could watch an extra episode of It’s Always Sunny before I went to sleep. But even though I worked efficiently, I didn’t really let myself feel the moment I was in.
Looking back at high school and saying I wish I had done this or that is weird for me because it just ended and I enjoyed my time at Parker. The truth is, I wouldn’t change much about my high school experience because without all the adventures I had, I would not have learned the lessons I did. I would, however, refrain from taking AP Chem.
As I said, in high school, I rarely thought hard about the now. In many ways, high school is set up like this; every grade and every extracurricular is recorded just so you can present it to college admissions in the coming years. The very nature of high school doesn’t really allow you to love high school itself because it is all about the future. I am completely guilty of falling into this trap. I was a more or less reserved guy, but while in my shell I mostly pondered about the past or the future, never the present. I wanted to be five again, playing quidditch on broomsticks in the backyard with my brother. Or I wanted to be in my thirties, a successful business owner with an apartment in Manhattan. The grass was always greener. But, in fact, as much as I may have thought I did, I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I still don’t but now I realize that that is okay. Sure, it is great to have goals to work towards just as it is important to be able to reflect and learn from the past. But the present is the only time you have control over and the only place where you can implement both the lessons you’ve learned and the dedication necessary to be successful later on. I thought and still do think Holden’s character is uniquely annoying, but when I was reading The Catcher in the Rye, I neglected the fact that I could perhaps learn something from him.
Holden pissed me off because he is inarticulate and completely lacks self-awareness; in order to understand what is happening to him, readers have to delve so incredibly deep into the text and even then, Holden’s narration could remain unreliable and biased. What pissed me off even more is that Salinger was writing Holden like this on purpose. It’s actually pretty cool in terms of the writing itself, but it still annoyed me. However, throughout the whole book, there is one feeling that Holden clearly and coherently expresses: he wants to be the catcher in the rye. He wants to save kids before they jump off the cliff of childhood into adolescence. Holden’s biggest flaw is that he fails to understand the inevitability of this change. He’s caught between this state of boyhood and adulthood and he doesn’t seem to understand that he can’t stay there. Everybody is going to grow up, everybody is going to jump off the cliff. But maybe Holden’s problem is actually the cliff itself. The fact that he sees this transition as a cliff that people fall off of is somewhat concerning. Growing up doesn’t need to be this sudden and scary dive into the abyss. It should be a more gradual climb where each moment is really understood and appreciated. I think if you can stray from being too focused on time gone by or time yet to come, you can avoid becoming a “phony.”
Most high schoolers are so focused on what’s next that they don’t embrace the present. It’s hard to blame them, especially at a preparatory school like Parker. Holden, on the other hand, is so afraid of what’s next that he purposefully sabotages himself to avoid it. I think there may be a solid middle ground between the average Parker student and Holden Caulfield. One where the past and future are acknowledged but not overpowering and the current moment is given the respect it deserves.
As organized and efficient as one might be, nobody can plan out their lives just as nobody can travel back in time to their childhood. I still am probably a little too focused on the times I’m not in but I’m trying to change because I’ve realized the best thing you can do is focus on where you are now and be present in the times you are experiencing.
I hated The Catcher in the Rye. I thought Holden Caulfield was an idiot. I knew it was supposedly a “classic” but I didn’t understand why Mr. Harrington was making us read this shit. He knew I didn’t like the book; I think he sensed that it stressed me out.
But in high school, I prided myself on handling stress. I never let myself get too overwhelmed with work because I managed my time and I worked quickly, all so I could watch an extra episode of It’s Always Sunny before I went to sleep. But even though I worked efficiently, I didn’t really let myself feel the moment I was in.
Looking back at high school and saying I wish I had done this or that is weird for me because it just ended and I enjoyed my time at Parker. The truth is, I wouldn’t change much about my high school experience because without all the adventures I had, I would not have learned the lessons I did. I would, however, refrain from taking AP Chem.
As I said, in high school, I rarely thought hard about the now. In many ways, high school is set up like this; every grade and every extracurricular is recorded just so you can present it to college admissions in the coming years. The very nature of high school doesn’t really allow you to love high school itself because it is all about the future. I am completely guilty of falling into this trap. I was a more or less reserved guy, but while in my shell I mostly pondered about the past or the future, never the present. I wanted to be five again, playing quidditch on broomsticks in the backyard with my brother. Or I wanted to be in my thirties, a successful business owner with an apartment in Manhattan. The grass was always greener. But, in fact, as much as I may have thought I did, I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I still don’t but now I realize that that is okay. Sure, it is great to have goals to work towards just as it is important to be able to reflect and learn from the past. But the present is the only time you have control over and the only place where you can implement both the lessons you’ve learned and the dedication necessary to be successful later on. I thought and still do think Holden’s character is uniquely annoying, but when I was reading The Catcher in the Rye, I neglected the fact that I could perhaps learn something from him.
Holden pissed me off because he is inarticulate and completely lacks self-awareness; in order to understand what is happening to him, readers have to delve so incredibly deep into the text and even then, Holden’s narration could remain unreliable and biased. What pissed me off even more is that Salinger was writing Holden like this on purpose. It’s actually pretty cool in terms of the writing itself, but it still annoyed me. However, throughout the whole book, there is one feeling that Holden clearly and coherently expresses: he wants to be the catcher in the rye. He wants to save kids before they jump off the cliff of childhood into adolescence. Holden’s biggest flaw is that he fails to understand the inevitability of this change. He’s caught between this state of boyhood and adulthood and he doesn’t seem to understand that he can’t stay there. Everybody is going to grow up, everybody is going to jump off the cliff. But maybe Holden’s problem is actually the cliff itself. The fact that he sees this transition as a cliff that people fall off of is somewhat concerning. Growing up doesn’t need to be this sudden and scary dive into the abyss. It should be a more gradual climb where each moment is really understood and appreciated. I think if you can stray from being too focused on time gone by or time yet to come, you can avoid becoming a “phony.”
Most high schoolers are so focused on what’s next that they don’t embrace the present. It’s hard to blame them, especially at a preparatory school like Parker. Holden, on the other hand, is so afraid of what’s next that he purposefully sabotages himself to avoid it. I think there may be a solid middle ground between the average Parker student and Holden Caulfield. One where the past and future are acknowledged but not overpowering and the current moment is given the respect it deserves.
As organized and efficient as one might be, nobody can plan out their lives just as nobody can travel back in time to their childhood. I still am probably a little too focused on the times I’m not in but I’m trying to change because I’ve realized the best thing you can do is focus on where you are now and be present in the times you are experiencing.
We miss you, Nick! And btw, I hated the book too...
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