the thing that broke my heart the most about reading catcher in the rye was how many people saw the result of a teenage kid who was mistreated and abused and well, basically betrayed by everyone he trusted which would fuck with anyone’s perception of people, when repeated or not, and decided that the only lesson they’ll take out of the book is that he’s crazy or annoying
it’s so bizarre to me how most people who argue that he’s crazy or annoying can’t connect holden with real cases of how most victims of abuse are seen as and treated, because most of the time a perpetrator of abuse is a normal human being, just like you or me, and often is seen as a model human being, such as a close adult or youth leader or parent or teacher or family member, in comparison to a victim who may already be unlikable in their community
and that’s what leads to shunning victims both in real life and what holden experienced, being viewed as a troubled teen and embracing that label as a defense
this is the way you’d tell me that you didn’t understand catcher in the rye without actually telling me “I didn’t understand catcher in the rye”
