Comments | deanish_ness: High-schoolish Plea for Help Interpreting Fine Literature, And Other Assorted Things

deanish_ness

High-schoolish Plea for Help Interpreting Fine Literature, And Other Assorted Things

Mar 29, 2009 23:06

First of all, the episode: I liked it and kept liking it ... and then it was over, and I was like huh? I liked it, but it seems like the ending was missing. So ( ... Here be spoilers. )

episodes, book club, lent/fanfic fast, things i don't expect you to read

Comments 4

catcher keepmeweird March 30 2009, 05:01:29 UTC

the catcher in the rye is undoubtedly my favorite book, so excuse me if i sound fangirlish about it. i think the reason catcher is so good is that it isn't about anything in particular on the surface, (i mean, "messed up kid goes to new york for a couple of days" doesn't sound like all that enticing of a plot) but it's about so much stuff underneath. the main i got from it, though, was just the overall feeling of being alone and alienation. i mean holden tries so hard to just communicate with an other human being-he literally gets a prostitute and just wants to hang out. i think most high school students, including myself, can just relate to it so well because we all have that very direct feeling of being alone.

Re: catcher deanish_ness March 30 2009, 23:02:33 UTC

OK, but ... whose fault was it that he was alienated? His sister was right -- he didn't like anything. Didn't seem like he was trying very hard to ... I don't know, find the good in people. Not that I'm criticizing -- like I said, I enjoyed it, and I liked him. I just can't figure out what the point was.

And as for the prostitute ... I don't know. I didn't think that he got a prostitute for human companionship. It was offered, and so he said yes. But then wasn't ready for it after all, so he changed his mind. Again, I'm not saying he was wrong (on the contrary, really) I just don't think he was being particularly clever to have gotten her in the first place.

Just out of curiosity ... how did you happen to come across my post?

annj_g80 March 30 2009, 13:11:36 UTC

Catcher in the Rye? Hated it. Hated it a lot.

Problem was, we read it in school in maybe seventh or eight class and when you're 14 this isn't the kind of book you want to read. I don't remember much but I do remember, it confused the hell outta me. Also, reading books in school always tended to be THE killjoy for a nice book because it was like stripping it naked to the dot. Awful!

Still, I always thought about reading it again. Maybe I could enjoy (or understand) it this time.

deanish_ness March 30 2009, 22:57:45 UTC

Hee. Actually, your comment kind of reminds me of his style. I wondered at first if it was on purpose.

But yeah. Fourteen is probably too young. Honestly, I can't figure out why in the world schools would want kids to read it. Like I said, I enjoyed it. But I can find no discernible morals they might get out of it.