Can we talk about how 'The Catcher in the Rye' is actually not that deep?

I read it again last month for our book club and I kept waiting for some big meaning to hit me. But honestly, it's just a kid complaining for 200 pages about phonies and not doing anything. I found a stat online that said over 65 million copies have sold, so clearly I'm in the minority. Am I missing something or does anyone else think it's overrated?

3 comments

3 Comments

kimr9123d agoMost Upvoted

You said "it's just a kid complaining for 200 pages about phonies" and that honestly nailed it for me. I think what people grab onto is that feeling of being stuck and mad at everything, which is super relatable (especially as a teenager). But here's the thing I've noticed in real life - sometimes the most famous stuff gets called "deep" just because it's famous and a lot of people nod along about it. It reminds me of how everyone hypes up certain life milestones like getting married or buying a house as these huge meaningful moments, but when you actually go through them, it's just a lot of paperwork and stress. So yeah, I don't think you're missing anything, it's more like society decided this book was important and now we all have to pretend we get it.

the_ben22d ago

Isn't that just how everything works though, the famous stuff always gets called deep?

shanes6622d ago

Nah, "famous stuff always gets called deep" is basically the whole game.