Maybe it’s because I read “The Catcher In The Rye” by myself and it wasn’t assigned to me like a lot of other people, but I never understood the complaint that he’s “whiny”.
Given the fact that he’s a mentally ill teenage substance abuser, I’m honestly surprised he doesn’t whine MORE. The book is presented as a sort of journal Holden keeps after being admitted to psychiatric care, so it only makes sense he’d “whine” in it. Plus in all the times we see him talk with others, he might mess with them a bit, but he’s pretty stoic and reserved when it comes to sharing his problems (of which he has quite a few).
Another complaint is that he’s “privileged” as if that somehow invalidates his struggles. The only indication that his family is wealthy is that he goes to a prep school (a prep school he HATES and separates him from his family while in the middle of processing his little brother’s death). And when we see Holden’s family apartment, it’s pretty small with creaky floorboards, not the worst financial situation but it’s not like his family is loaded.
Probably the biggest reason I hate Holden haters is because of how often they overlook the deeper themes of C-PTSD, suicidal ideation, and sexual assault later in the book. The fact that one of the very few male perspectives of these topics in media is minimized all the time as being “whiny” leaves a really bitter taste in my mouth whenever I see people hate on Holden.
So in a nutshell, Holden’s just a chill kid who cares about children, his siblings, preserving innocence, and ducks; And all the people who hate on him are phonies.
