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who deserved our utmost sympathy.
One viral tweet insisted, Hating Holden Caulfield means you lack empathy, reading comprehension, or both.
I lovedThe Catcher in the Ryeas a teenager (red flag!?)
and couldnt get into it as an adult.
I dont hate Holden, though I dont ever want to hang out with him.
Hes part of an esteemed class of literary characters: troubled outsiders.
Or, more specifically, troubled outsiders who suck.
He also isnt real, a detail that both sides of the argument seemed to forget.
Since he isnt real, theres nothing wrong with hating the guy.
Nothing wrong with loving him, either.
Happy to say it again if I must.
Fiction isnt meant to make readers better people.
Fictional characters, though they inspire intense feelings, are only ever collections of traits.
You cant empathize with a mirror.
I have forgiven loved ones for committing the same harms that have rendered many characters villains.
This isnt a contradiction.
Hating Holden Caulfield doesnt mean you hate your depressed, grieving, traumatized brother.
What you do with those feelings?
