The Catcher in the Rye shouldn't be taught in high school

Should The Catcher in the Rye be taught in high school? What do you think! Let me know in the comment section down below!

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[johndalton]

What's great about the book is there are two Holdens. The Holden the story is happening to, and the Holden telling the story. The former is just a tragic figure, who is losing his mental health, and fails at making any connections. On the other hand the Holden who's telling us the story is frankly a triumph. He's finally succeeded in doing what he was trying to do the whole novel- getting people (meaning us) to finally listen to him. So it's actually a hopeful story. (Basically stole all this from John Green, but I love it)

[newjerseyhater]

THIS THIS THIS EXACTLY. The first time I read Catcher in the Rye was supposed to be towards the end of the year in my junior year english class, but because of Covid lockdowns, our teacher cut it from the curriculum. Because I didn’t read that much, I thought I’d check it out anyways and I couldn’t be more glad. This shit resonated with me way more than if I’d had to take chapter reading comprehension quizzes and use post it annotations and do the frankly phony “fun” assignments my teacher used to make us do. I’ve always said this that Catcher in the Rye being taught in schools is quite ironic bc it’s is a subtle critique of the school system, with (1) schools being portrayed primarily as institutions of prestige rather than leaning and (2) teachers themselves actively suppressing holden’s curiosity rather than nurturing it, favoring conformity over actual learning. To lecture kids about this lesson would be really incongruous.

[traplover]

My grip with Catcher In The Rye is if high school students take Holden's mentality of an edgelord with a MC complex before the end of the book.

That's why I think one MUST read it twice: during adolescence and after it to see this change if they had this problem. Now, I see Holden as a teenager that needs mental health services instead of someone's breaking through conformity.

[deniseflygirl]

I read it on my own when I was about 13. I wasn’t expecting it to be so relatable since it was a “classic.” I didn’t overtly pick up on the themes in a direct way back then, but I sure found Holden laugh out loud funny. Especially the way he would describe things. This was in the early 1980s.

[jessicakearnes]

Funny how a lot of people responded with “I read this book in high school and it’s been my favorite ever since” or something to that effect. I totally hear what you’re saying and appreciate your argument. However, I would counter with the fact that, if not for it being assigned in school, many people would never take it upon themselves to read it and would therefore miss out on something wonderful. Also, if the teacher is doing it right, they would never discourage any opinion or interpretation and would cover and discuss most everything you eloquently discuss in your video. Plus, the good teachers now a days facilitate discussion, and don’t lead it. My best days in the classroom are when I say hardly anything because my students are doing all the talking 👍🏼

[faeryfossil]

My school had us read some good classics, but i unfortunately never read this in high school and i honestly feel a bit cheated. It was one of my dad’s favorite books, but i had no clue what it was about and wasn’t really interested in reading it. My dad and i haven’t talked in 8 years, so a few years ago when i was around 20, i read it for the first time and it became my favorite book. I reread it recently now that i’m almost 24, and even that small gap of time helped me see it from a different perspective and understand things a bit more. I think this it’s one of the greats for many reasons, but a big one for me is that it can and should be read at least 2 times, at different stages of your life. When i was 20 i had no direction and was really struggling, and the loss of my dad through him basically disowning me had been tearing me up. I think i needed this book then and i need it now. I think that in times of hardship or in a place of oppression, disappointment and hurt, you should find solace, solidarity and hope in literature. This book is perfect for that and for most ages. I can understand why schools wouldn’t want students to read this, but i definitely think they should even if it’s not required

[lindseyykaitlin]

This was such a great video! I feel like people often reject Catcher in the Rye at first because they don't like Holden as a person, but I think you need to look at both sides and I agree that he spirals even further in the novel as a result of constant adult failure in his life.

[lmaolmao]

I read this on my own a couple of months ago and I absolutely loved the book. I asked my high school English teacher why he doesn’t teach this book and basically gave the same reasoning you gave.

[nolynylon]

Catcher should be read twice: in high school when you get WHAT Holden is saying, then as an adult when you understand WHY he says it

[filmsyoushouldbewatching]

I love this book, and for my A-level essay (2500 words or so), an essay which made up a large chunk of my final grade, I compared the presentations of conformity in the Catcher in The Rye and The Scarlet Letter.

At the top of my paper I had this quote by Robert Musil: “one most conform to the baseness of an age or become neurotic”.

[jeanreads]

Off topic but... I see the secret history on your book pile. Will we get a review on it? 😭😭

[johndalton]

I read this at age 17 for high school English in 1987., And then again at age 40. Loved it both times for different reasons. I really disagree with you. The point of reading in high school isn't to enjoy the book. It's to learn about literature, literary devices, and language. Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird are excellent for that. So glad I was in high school before phonies of ALL political stripe started banning/censoring them. You can argue that books are generally better enjoyed outside of an academic context, but to laser focus that notion on one book, and advocate for its removal from classrooms is strange to me. All due respect.

[lsly]

Im 14 about to start high school and i just read this book on my own. This video made me rethink my opinion on the book completely. I didn’t really understand Holdens character completely in most of the book and honestly found him a bit annoying. Now i just kind of wanna give holden a hug

[gracie]

I read Catcher in the Rye in high school (not assigned) and I loved it. I related to Holden’s criticisms of society so much. However, I missed a lot of the signs of Holden struggling, which I only really saw when I reread it recently. The book changed from “yay bashing society” to “this poor precious child” in a matter of 2 years, and I appreciate it so much more for that. It’s so nuanced

[timid_MAGpie]

We had to read “Catcher” in 12th grade and the teacher wanted to make sure we got permission from our parents to read it because it had “the f-word” in it. Lol she was a sweet old lady.
Read it in high school and I thought Holden was kinda a downer. Typical morose teen. I’m in my 40s now and I don’t know how relatable it would be. I’m glad I read it when I did. Even though I still haven’t recovered from those f-words.

[windflowerlulu]

I didn't expect to be this attached to a story I've never read. I want to say thank you for making this video because it was my first introduction to this book and I'm going to read it now

[MythsScamsLies]

Catcher is the very best thing that I have ever read on teenage alienation. On not fitting in. It's absolutely essential reading for people in their teens and early 20s. I reread it recently and it completely holds up after more than 70 years.

[rat_finkdiam]

You got a pretty good point about it not being forced in schools, dude. When I was a teen my mom wouldn't leave me alone about reading The Catcher in the Rye. When I finally read it, I understood why she kept suggesting it. It is best organically. And I can see why schools ban it too. I can also see why people hate it. Most people would rather follow the crowd. It's easier, but not necessarily the best choice. Especially these days in 2022.

[liamlandry]

i read it in high school and absolutely loved it. i get the argument though it makes sense. more of those students would have enjoyed it had they found it on their own.

[mickey]

My English teacher nailed it. She assigned it over winter break. When we went back to school we took a quick quiz on it to prove we read it and then spent maybe 10 minutes discussing it. She didn’t impose any of her opinions onto us. She just let us talk about how we felt about it.

I’m so glad I read Catcher when I did. I was the perfect age for it. I tried rereading it as an adult and didn’t enjoy it nearly as much. It was the only book in high school that I read and enjoyed.