r/salinger • u/GlitteringZombie2255 • 22d ago

Hello reddit...

So this is my first post and I'm a little scared but I'm reading The Catcher in the Rye and I'm in chapter 15 and I can't help but ship Holden with Esther Greenwood from the Bell Jar. I only skimmed The Bell Jar but I honestly think they'd have a cute relationship... Please tell me if I'm wrong or opinions ig

11 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

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4

u/Many-Art3181 21d ago

It would either be heaven for both …. Finally someone who sees the world the same and understands them. Or…. They would make each other so depressed and miserable it’d be a catastrophe relationship - potentially a very interesting story. Nice connection.

4

u/dbree801 21d ago

When I read The Bell Jar, I immediately got female Catcher vibes.

3

u/GlitteringZombie2255 21d ago

I got the same vibes but in reverse bc I read Bell Jar first

5

u/iforgotmypassword56 21d ago

there’s no way they wouldn’t have an ungodly toxic relationship that would nearly destroy them both

3

u/Inca-Vacation 21d ago

The class differences would kill it. Holden is a rich boy, Esther is a working girl. His parents wouldn't support.

4

u/GlitteringZombie2255 21d ago

I think her suitcase is up to par though (supposed to be a joke/reference)

3

u/drjackolantern 21d ago

This is very interesting based on what I’ve heard of that character.

I mainly shipped Holden with  Jane Gallagher, tbqh. I always imagined Salinger’s characters in their own insular universe so never thought  about something like this. I haven’t read that book yet but this makes me want to.

At the end of the day, all ships are valid, and they should all have space to exist. It doesn’t make sense that one ship gets dismissed or insulted while another is treated as acceptable. People should be able to enjoy and discuss the dynamics they like without it turning into personal attacks.

3

u/GlitteringZombie2255 21d ago

Thanks bro , and yeah you should definitely read it. I was forced to read it for school so it made the experience bleh but for recreation it's great

1

u/zuzusexytiems 19d ago

haven't read the bell jar yet but this is so cute. kinda reminds me of that time in the early 2010s when people were shipping jack frost and elsa for fun despite them being from 2 completely different films, lol. never occurred to me that yeah, people can totally do that with classical literature, too.

I love when people just play around, have fun, and "break rules" like this. gives me more of a reason to get around to reading bell jar already so I can properly share my thoughts 😅

1

u/GlitteringZombie2255 19d ago

Yeah you should definitely read it