Because I teach Catcher in the Rye in my graduate YA literature class, I have thought about Holden a lot. I first read Salinger in college, in the early 1960s, and I was blown away - found everything else by Salinger there was, and wrote a paper on him.
I read Holden again in my mid-thirties, and found him a smarmy, self-pitying wanker, and wanted to swat him upside the head and say, with Cher, "Snap out of it!"
In my 50s, when I was planning the YA lit course, I picked up Catcher again, to see where it led me. I was filled with pity and tenderness for Holden. He needed care, and a mom. I so wanted to take care of him.
There's not world enough and time to read everything, let alone reread everything. But I am fascinated with how my reactions changed over the decades. My students' reactions vary even more widely.
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I read Holden again in my mid-thirties, and found him a smarmy, self-pitying wanker, and wanted to swat him upside the head and say, with Cher, "Snap out of it!"
In my 50s, when I was planning the YA lit course, I picked up Catcher again, to see where it led me. I was filled with pity and tenderness for Holden. He needed care, and a mom. I so wanted to take care of him.
There's not world enough and time to read everything, let alone reread everything. But I am fascinated with how my reactions changed over the decades. My students' reactions vary even more widely.