The Catcher in the Rye

[Tadao]

Can anyone tell me why this book is important?

[Nick]

Well back in 1951 it was considered really risque in its subject matter and how the young Holden Caulfield thought and what he did. Then its popularity got bumped up a notch when Robert John Brando, John Hickley Jr and Mark David Chapman were all associated with it. Having so many people who harmed and killed such high-profile people made others blame the book as being a bad influence on them and kids in general.

Of course if you picked up a copy and read it right now you'd probably find it really tame and see Holden as more of a worthless little prick than any sort of deep profound intellectual.

So basically hype. It's all hype.

[Tadao]

I read it 10 years ago. It's just a rich white boy complaining about rich white boy problems.

So again, why is it important? It really isn't, is it?

[Esuohlim]

Probably just because it's a book that includes all sorts of shit that's useful to teach in a high school english class, such as themes and uh symbolism maybe

[Tadao]

Er, what theme and symbolism to qualify this book as a must read? It's something an asspie would write.

[Fathom Zero]

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[Colonel Flagg]

It was written by a guy who drank his own urine.

[Nick]

I read it last year and it didn't really strike me as all that interesting or ground breaking either.

Just 1950s getting worked up over a book saying fuck I guess.

[Esuohlim]

For the record I actually did enjoy Catcher in the Rye when I read it, but that was over 10 years ago and I don't remember a lot of it anymore. Plus, I was a dumb high school kid so I was definitely the target demographic. I'm pretty sure I would still like it though if I read it again.

I think the real importance of the book comes not from the story itself but the controversy surrounding it. It contains stuff that some deem inappropriate to be assigned reading in schools, some schools taught it anyway, teachers/schools got in trouble, etc. The book is important in its infamy and it's always brought up as a good example in the history of censorship. The story itself is nothing too special from a literary perspective, I don't think.

[Tadao]

Yeah and 2 Live Crew made it big as well and is the direct result of the parent advisory logo, doesn't mean every kid should be subjected to that crappy album.

[Esuohlim]

Only nerds enjoy assigned reading anyway.

I read Catcher in the Rye on my own. Everything I was actually forced to read in school I hated. Of Mice and Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Great Gatsby, all those Greek epics, all shit. >:

[Tadao]

:lol I failed English because I refused to read their stupid books. One day in my 20's I was reading Don Quite and people kept riding me because they hated reading it in school and didn't understand why I would read it of my own free will.