[Harmless Teddy Bear]

He whined about everything and did nothing. Holden committed the carnal sin of literature in that he was boring. He was the guy who corners you at a party and wearies you with the patter of little feats.

So when reading that novel keep in mind that the person was writing it while preparing for or recovering from D-Day (in which Salinger participated).

So?

No excuse for having your "hero" be a worthless whiner.

[Borges]

He’s not supposed to be a completely sympathetic character. He also has signs of incipient schizophrenia.