[ SECRET POST #5199 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #5199 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 31 secrets from Secret Submission Post #744.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

This is one of my favourite books of all time. I read it at 16 and am 40 now and it appeals to me so much I gave it to my nephew for Christmas to read.
I obviously have a different interpretation of Holden, as I related in a different way than OP. Like Holden, at 16 I was also trying to find myself in the world. I was realising, for the first time, that people could be "fake" that the world wasn't the wonderful place I had considered it to be, as a child.
One of my favourite scenes is when he goes to the jazz club and the big mirror, rather than focus on the piano player's fingers, focuses on his face. To me, it's the perfect symbolism of a level of narcissism of society, where people focus on them, over how to help others (and it feels like it's getting worse, with the advent of social media).
Yes, Holden was bitter and confused and sure, acted like a jerk at times. But he also ultimately did have a good heart and I would argue ultimately wanted to save others (hence the name of the novel). He also had mental health issues (I would argue depression)- let's not forget he ends up in a mental asylumn at the end of the novel.
As I said, I really emphasised with the character of Holden and his struggles at 16, as I did. I'm working as a mental health now, at the moment in an adolescent ward in particular.
Teenagers like Holden aren't stuck in a vaccuum. They can, and often do move forward and do amazing things with their lives.

[(Anonymous)]

*I'm working as a mental health nurse now, at the moment in an adolescent ward in particular.

[(Anonymous)]

Wanted to thank you for this eloquent comment- it's how I (and a number of my friends) feel about Holden as well, but I'm no good at putting it into words. And thank you doubly for your work in the mental health field.

[(Anonymous)]

I love this comment.

As an 18 year old, I hated Holden. I thought that his brother had died over a year before and he should totally be over it by then because it's been so long. But as an adult, I had so much empathy.

Holden is a shit. But he's also so, so, so very sad. He also knows that a dear friend of his is probably going to get date raped that night even though there are no words back then for what it was and most people didn't have a problem with it (besides the young women enduring it).

He's dealing with hormones and growing up and people thinking he's more adult than he his, which he takes advantage of, but I think he just wants someone to tell him he doesn't have to be an adult yet.

Every adult he tries to go to disappoints him and the only person he had to lean on was his ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AGED SISTER.

It's the story of a boy who is a bit of a shit whose life is still falling apart with grief and trauma that no one can see because he looks adult enough and fine enough that no one cares to see he's not okay and has no idea how to be okay except to bullshit his way through life.

I spent the whole time reading the book in my late thirties yelling "Where is his MOTHER?" He needed an adult on his side.

[(Anonymous)]

Why is it always blamed on the mother? Oh, wait, misogyny.

[ibbity]

For me, I think my own distaste for Holden and the way he chose to (not) deal with his issues comes from the fact that during my own adolescence and early adulthood, I was struggling with mental health issues myself and had absolutely no one and nothing to support me at all, and at the same time was expected by several people in my life to take up the weight of their emotional problems (that they wouldn't do anything to mitigate) as well with no return. One in particular was constantly having breakdowns and dumping huge problems on me etc but absolutely refused to make better choices or do anything at all to fix any of her issues. Did not want to take any responsibility at all for her mental state. If you haven't been in a situation like that you have no idea how terribly it burns you out. So I get what it says up there about resenting people who won't take responsibility for their own situation; I've been the person who had to carry the weight of others who wouldn't take charge of their own situation, when I had to carry it and my own problems all alone. It does build a ton of resentment when you see someone who won't do it and you know that someone else will have to pick up the slack and that someone will oftentimes either be you or someone else like you.