My New Outlook on Holden
I first read The Catcher in the Rye in 8th grade for my Banned Book Project, and wasn’t the biggest fan. I felt the book was a bit overrated considering the reputation it had gotten as one of the quintessential American novels. But more importantly, I found Holden Caulfield to be obnoxious, bratty, and a bit “fake deep”: some of his criticisms and comments felt like they were trying too hard to be profound when they were surface level. I, of course, reread the book for English this semester. Having read The Catcher in the Rye at these two times felt perfect for judging how my own opinions have changed, since I first read the book right before the beginning of high school and the second time I read it was right at the end .To my utmost dismay, when I reread the novel this year for class, I found myself sympathizing and even identifying with Holden. Thinking about my perception now vs. my perception of Holden when I first read the book has created a sort of cognitive dissona...