Post
your reader responses here: Choose a line from the text and explain why
it stands out to you. Does this line shock you, confuse you, or seem
important in some way? Does it make you ask a question? Can you make a
connection to your life or another text? What is this line saying about
Holden, and then what is this line saying about people, or the world, in
general?
Then, respond to someone else's post. Agree or disagree, but make sure that you add something new-- a new idea, a reference to another part of the book. Include textual evidence as you push the conversation forward.
Then, respond to someone else's post. Agree or disagree, but make sure that you add something new-- a new idea, a reference to another part of the book. Include textual evidence as you push the conversation forward.
"All I need's an audience. I'm an exhibitionist." pg. 29
ReplyDeleteThis line stood out to me because it implies that Holden Caulfield likes to put on a show when he has an audience, make people laugh or make them like him. However, in other parts of the book, Holden talks about how much he hates people being "phony". He calls D.B. a prostitute for writing cheesy Hollywood movies. It annoys him that Ackley and Stradlater act like them know more than they do. Yet Holden also lies uncontrollably at times, and according to this quote only needs an audience to put on a big exhibition. I wonder why he despises phoniness and falseness in others, but tolerates this trait in himself.
Interesting thought at the end. I liked how your explanation of your quote shows Holden as he is viewed by others (in this case, the reader), which is mostly negatively, yet he is not able to see why others feel that way about him, instead saying everyone else is phony, a moron, or a phony moron.
DeleteI love this quote. its so true what you say about holden and an audience..
Deleteawoooo gaaaaaa
DeleteMalika
ReplyDelete10/7/12
How tough is Holden?
In these chapters a lot of questions are raised. The biggest one that I saw was how tough is Holden. Holden finds out that his roommate Stradlater is going a date with a girl named Jane who Holden knew before. Holden clearly has feelings for Jane so he is slightly saddened that Jane is going on a date with egotistic Stradlater. But Stradlater asks Holden to do his homework, which he can’t do because he is going on a date. After going out with the boys Holden starts to work on Stradlater’s homework. I don’t understand why Holden does Stradlater’s homework because he was upset that he was going on a date with Jane. Later when Stradlater came back from his date with Jane he got angry that Holden didn’t follow his directions, Holden did his homework incorrectly. Holden starts to question Stradlater who refuses to tell him anything about the date. Holden starts to imagine that dates and starts to tear up. One thing leads to another and Holden and Stradlater get in a physical fight. Holden once again get teary eyed and runs to Ackley’s room and talks to an uninterested Ackley. Ackley’s response upsets Holden. Holden leaves and returns to back to his dorm to pack and return home. I think Holden puts up a tough image to scare people off so they can’t hurt him and find his emotional vulnerability. I don’t believe he can handle bullies but he doesn’t have to because of his tough image.
I agree with some of what you said but don't exactly think Holden is putting a tough image. He'll stand up for what he thought and will let out his anger towards that person. He is not exactly the strongest guy but he will fight for what he thinks is right. He's an emotional person but when it comes to problems that really tick him off, he will fight. He's not being tough, but he's standing up for himself.
Delete"Jane Gallagher. Jesus." I couldn't get her out of my mind. Ireally couldnt."
ReplyDeleteThis quote really seems to suprise. It shows that he is still an average kid. As we got to know about thta author, he is quite and really to himself, but the character however is loud and just crazy about this girl. He doesnt seem to know hwat he feels about this girl and if he should go see her or just leave it alone. It kinda gives us a sneak about his emotions and how he sees himself.It shows that teenagers are kind of the same no matter the generation, it just kind of a cycle that we all go bthrough and those emotions we feel. To me, it seems like a mini crush. It a weird side of Holden that I hope to discover more about him as we read along
I agree teenagers through generations maintain the same, but Holden as a character he seems to be very secretive and already seems to know who he is as a person. Part of me doesn't believe he has a crush on her, but that he just cares for her. You could be right though.
Delete"I sat there for about a half an hour after he left. I mean I just sat in my chair, not doing anything. I kept thinking about Jane, and about Stradlater having a date with her and all. It made me so nervous I nearly went crazy." -page 34
ReplyDeleteThis quote was quite interesting in my opinion because it really seems to bring out the character's thought filled nature. Sometimes we can just get lost in our thoughts, especially when you have numerous things going on in your life at the same time. I can certainly relate to this because I'm more myself on the inside where I am safe inside my thoughts as opposed to the outside where everyone is there, waiting to judge my every thought and action. I really think that most people feel safest whilst contemplating their life as a whole and the many things going on at any given moment. Holden is a character that I would certainly like to know more about as the story progresses. I'm looking forward to reading more of this great book.
Matthew Baldwin
DeleteI was actually going to write about this quote but after i saw that you did it i decided against it.but i really like what you said about it and i agree with the whole response you wrote.
"The bus driver opened the doors and made me throw it out. I told him I wasn't going to chuck it at anybody, but he wouldn't believe me, People never believe you."
DeleteThis quote stood out to me because in my opinion Holden is right most of the time people don't believe you when you're telling the truth it's ironic because when you're lying they do. Also in the beginning of chapter three he clarify's that he's the most terrific liar when he told old Spencer he had to go to the gym to get his equipment. It's irritating in both terms because people can be gullible to the point where they believe others when the truth isn't being told, or they can be so boldface and not believe anything at all.
This is an interesting quote, I agree with you. I think it's confusing because in the beginning of the book he said "I'm the most terrific liar" so you're not sure whether he was going to throw it or not. Holden is also unsure if he will throw the snowball or not. I also think its hard to judge the bus drivers motives. The bus driver just wanted to make sure no one got hurt or have a window broken with the snow ball. It is seems that Holden just sees this as another example of his many struggles with authority.
DeleteMatthew Baldwin
ReplyDeleteHolden's issues:
Holden gets pissed off and annoyed about a lot of things that are in our everyday lives. One random fact about him is that he hates when people wissle out of tune, why? There is really no reason behind this. another one is that he hates when people yawn when they talk to you, which you could say that they just don't care about, but it could mean that they are just tired
"I'd only been in about two fights in my life, and I lost both of them. I'm not too tough. I'm a pacifist, if you want to know the truth."
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it tells you what type of person Holden is. He's not much of a fighter but from the event that just occurred, you can tell he'll fight for a vindicated reason. He won't just fight because he felt like it. He punched Stradlater because he was angry at what he'd done with Jane. It's evident that he cares a lot about Jane; the way he repeated he should say hi to her and the way he kept mentioning small details Stradlater didn't care about. He was really infuriated at the time and just wanted to let his anger out and let Stradlater know he was wrong for what he'd done.
I agree 100%...I was actually going to write about this but I ended up changing my mind. I think Holden has very strong emotions and he will fight for something he cares about not just for anything stupid. He really felt what Stradler did was wrong, but why didnt he say something before or I don't know I think getting mad after the date was kind of weird if you felt this strongly about her before the date why not speak up then, it isn't going to make much of a difference after the date already took place. But I still think it was great that he stood up for Jane.
DeleteDo you think Holden is being completely honest about his story?
ReplyDeleteI do not think Holden is being honest about the events in his story. He is actually an unreliable narrator. An unreliable narrator is someone who takes some "creative liberties" with their story or doesn't remember the events correctly, and if you asked a group of people involved in those events about what actually happened, none or very little would be true. I think Holden is an unreliable narrator because he makes many contradictions. For example, in one part of the book he is fighting with his room mate but shortly after that he says he is a pacifist. He keeps changing his view on the other characters in the story and seems to make himself the hero and everyone else is out to get him or is too stupid to waste his time on. When he isn't being "heroic", he tries to present himself as a victim and he lies so much, that he even admits it. He keeps hanging out with a character he despises and insults him after the kid scolds snaps at him after mocking Holden mocks his religion and attempts to sleep in his roommate's bed, ignoring the kid's pleas. Holden is socially awkward so part of the reason he might attempt to make himself look better is to comfort himself.
I certainly agree with you. I like that you mentioned the whole part of him fighting with his roommate, yet briefly after proclaiming he's a pacifist. He certainly does prove to be an unreliable narrator, but then again, it is kinda a story about HIS life, so how unreliable can one be? I mean I agree with you 100%, but I feel as though the narrator truly believes that this is how his life was. In a way, we all want to think we're always right.
Delete“I was sort of crying." Pg 52
ReplyDeleteWhy does Holden feel like he needs to be strong all the time, and why does he only see the bad in people? This line stood out to me because even though Holden acts like he hates everything and doesn’t really show emotion, this line gives us a snippet of the real Holden. Also it showed that he does have feelings. From the beginning of the book I really didn’t like Holden while reading I kept thinking to myself what is wrong with this kid. I thought that way because when he talked about other people he mostly only saw the negative aspects of the person and that made me think he has no emotions he was just a real douche. But its moments like these when he cries that show us that he is a real person with emotions and no matter how hard to he tries to put up a facade and act like he is all tough and nothing hurts him, that’s not really him. I mean I think there are many people like that in the world, including myself. I don’t really like to express how I'm feeling and I just keep it all in and I act like I'm happy all the time but it’s not always like that. Another reason I can relate to Holden is that I always see the negative in people and never actually take time to see the good and it’s a habit that I hate and I think that Holden has trouble trusting people and the way he describes people. I think he describes them that way so that he knows what to look out for and so that he doesn’t get hurt. There is actually a song that I think goes great with this line and Holden in general it’s Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls the song kind of talks about not wanting to let the world see who you really are and I think that is a big issue with Holden, he rather keep to himself then really show who he is and what he is feeling.
When I wrote my response, I didn't think of the book the way you did. I thought Holden only sees the negative aspects in people because he wants everyone to see that nobody is perfect and perfection is what you want yourself to be. However, after I read what you wrote I totally agree with you. I agree this line really bring out the real Holden that we didn't know about before.
DeleteWhy does Holden judge other for being perfect?
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I think the reason why Holden judges other people around him and points out the negative of each character in the book is because he doesn't believe in perfection. He doesn't see and take anything seriously because there is no point in showing everyone that you're smart or handsome or talented because not everyone has the same opnion. For example, he talks about how Stradlater thinks that just because he's crazy about himself doesn't mean everyone is crazy about him too. I think his point is to show that everyone has their own perspective and they are different from one another. In the book, the reason for Stradlater's lousiness in writing is not because of his incorrectly use of commas but he wants everyone to think that and Holden disagrees.
"You never saw such gore in your life. I had blood all over my mouth and chin and even on my pajamas and bathrobe. It partly scared me and it partly fascinated me. All that blood and all sort of made me look tough."- Page 45
ReplyDeleteI really like this section because of how Holden makes an ordinary thing like blood into a bigger idea. He describes it as gore but also fascinating to him. There is also some self identity when he says that the blood makes him look kind of tough. I thought it made him think that this is how he wants to see himself. This could relate to other people, especially teenagers on trying to figure out who they are or who they want to be. Many teenagers think about things they want to be like to fit into the popular group. Or think about characteristics to make them more desirable, and for Holden's case, girls.
Hi Grace, I have to agree with you. I think what makes a story interesting is when you add lots of details to describe something. It makes you be in the moment with the character, and makes a sentence or a paragraph even more powerful. That's what it's important because a story with no details is insignificant. What J.D. Salinger did in this paragraph was that she made a small moment extraordinary like you had mentioned in your paragraph.
Delete"Then I started reading this timetable I had in my pocket. Jut to stop lying. Once I get started, I can go on for hours If I feel like it. No kidding. Hours."
ReplyDelete-Page 75-76 of chapter 8.
This small paragraph describes a little bit about Holden's personality. It shows that he enjoys lying, and he is a very good liar. It also shows a little humor and sarcasm in his tone which it makes this small paragraph very interesting and big. As you can see, it also shows how rebellious he is, and that he has trust issues. Going back to the chapters before, Holden doesn't trust people easily, and he is good at controlling his feelings and lying. Another example was when he was with his History teacher, and he said he had to go because he had left his equipment in the gym. Which was also a lie. So, you can expect that he will be lying a lot on the next few chapters.
"The reason he fixed himself up to look good, was because he was madly in love with himself. He thought he was the handsomest guy in the Western Hemisphere." -page 27 (in regards to Stradlater)
ReplyDeleteI found this quote to be essential for an abundance of reasons. I thought this quote was imperative in regards to Stradlater's personality. Holden did an amazing job of describing the character, while, in a way, adding his own humor to the line. I felt as though this line could not only relate to identity in this novel, but identity in general. There is a colossal amount of people in the world, and in our lives personally, that are overly confident and in love with themselves. However, I think the character trait being expressed here about Stradlater, is also one that many people in today's society lack. People are faced only with their insecurities, and never learn to love themselves and have an ounce of pride and confidence. Thus, in a way, this brief description of Stradlater depicts an entire society of people.
Rina,
DeleteI completely agree with you! I thought it was really interesting how J.D. Salinger was able to make such a huge statement about humanity in a single description of Stradlater. Do you think this might be a recurring theme in The Catcher in the Rye?
I 100% agree with you. The points you made really were backed up well by the quote. I totally agree with your point how this quote relates to the theme in this novel. Great Job!
Delete"That's just the trouble with all you morons. You never want to discuss anything. That's the way you can always tell a moron. They never want to discuss anything intellig-" -page 48
ReplyDeleteI found this quote to leave you with a lot of emotion and it was very important reflecting back to who Holden is as a person. It's funny because moron means someone who's stupid. Holden says that morons never want to discuss anything intelligent even though he was kicked out of his school because he failed all of his classes except for one.
I also thought it was kind of sad. Holden says, "that's the trouble with you morons" which made it more broad. It seems as though Holden feels alone. He really liked Jane and he doesn't have that many friends. Jane was the fist person he talked about in such a positive way. When Stratlater doesn't show that he cares about her it sends Holden off. In result of that, Holden probably thinks of a lot of people as "morons" and has a lack of trust for people. He judges them right away. I can understand Holden. I judge people right away too and I can understand why he got really mad and defended Jane. It shows that he's a nice boy who really does care about people no matter what he says. This line shows a lot about what a teenager thinks. Not in the exact same way, but in a way that teenagers usually judge and don't know who they can trust.
I think that's a great point. I find that almost every person Holden describes in the book, he writes negatively about. He feels like everybody else in the world is stupid and phony, which causes him to be anti-social.
Delete"The bus driver opened the doors and made me throw it out. I told him I wasn't going to chuck it at anybody, but he wouldn't believe me, People never believe you."
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because in my opinion Holden is right most of the time people don't believe you when you're telling the truth it's ironic because when you're lying they do. Also in the beginning of chapter three he clarified that he's the most terrific liar when he told old Spencer he had to go to the gym to get his equipment. It's irritating in both terms because people can be gullible to the point where they believe others when the truth isn't being told, or they can be so boldface and not believe anything at all.
I completely agree with you when you say "most of the time people don't believe you when you're telling the truth its ironic because when you're lying they do." One reason why this is true is because throughout the book it shows that Holden lies all of the time, but yet people don't believe him when he's telling the truth. One example is when he's speaking to Ernest Morrow's mother, tells a series of complete lies, and she believes every word he's saying. Good job!
Delete"Stradlater was always doing that. He wanted you to think that the only reason he was lousy at writing compositions was because he stuck all the commas in the wrong place."
ReplyDeleteThis line stood out to me because it shows how much Holden hates when people think they're better than they actually are, or when people try to make other people think they're better than they really are. Throughout the book so far, Holden has said many other things that show how he hates both perfection and when people try to be perfect. I think that this might be because Holden knows he's not perfect. His way of trying to accept his own imperfections might be thinking about how annoying it is when other people try to be perfect, because he knows it's not achievable.I also think that this line is a good example of how Holden gets annoyed at many things people do. Throughout the book, Holden has described many things that he dislikes and gets annoyed at, but only a few things that he likes. This might end up being an important personality trait of Holden.
I agree with the points you made on Holden hating perfection. Adding on to when you said Holden knows he's not perfect, I think that Holden is jealous of Stradlater. This is beacuse Holden thinks that Stradlater is almost as close to perfect as one could get, which led him to point out any small problem that Stradlater has.
Delete"I slept in the garage the night he died, and i broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it."
ReplyDeleteThis quote is important because it shows us the reaction Holden has to his brother's death. It is significant because is shows us how he reacts to loss, and how upset he was about the death of his brother. He decides to write "Stradlater's composition" describing his brothers baseball mit. It is covered with poems his brother wrote and he just "happens" to have the glove with him. This is important since it gives us insight into his sense of loss and his feelings and behavior. This is a life altering event to Holden and the wound still seems to be fresh and affects him profoundly.
"Stradlater was more of a secret slob." (p. 27)
ReplyDeleteI think this is a very interesting because it was kind of odd and confusing. It makes make think about life, who is a "secret slob?" I think this line could be taken metaphorically and literally, someone could be a "secret slob" by committing a crime and appearing to be perfectly fine. This makes me question people, how do I know that I could ever fully trust someone? In a way this connects to my life. Being from New York, I get a lot of comments such as "that city is so dangerous!" In my opinion, in New York City the "slobs" aren't so secret, you see what you get and you know what to avoid. For example in New York if someone was trying to capture a child, there are eight million people there as witnesses, essentially there is nowhere to hide. Whereas in the suburbs, for example, there are more "secret slobs." Your neighbor down the street could capture a child, and you would never know. Although Holden is referring to this literally I believe there is much more to what he is saying.
Holden is so against society as a whole that by him being so rebellious he puts himself in a situation where he doesn't like or agree with anyone and no one likes or agrees with him. He always criticizes the social norm and by him doing so he has no one on his side. I really think he is expressing his feelings too much and is basically asking for people to disagree with him.
ReplyDeleteI dont think he is expressing himself too much i feel like he just has diffent ideas and some make people wonder about him. i agree with him about him being against society because he make it clear that many people are fake and he doesnt like that as a whole.
Delete"I got bored sitting on that washbowl after a while, so I backed up a few feet and started doing this tap dance, just for the hell of it. I was just amusing myself. I cant really tap dance or anything"
ReplyDelete"All of a sudden-for no good reason,really, except that I was sort of in the mood for horsing around- I felt like jumping off the washbowl and getting old Stradlater in a half nelson.That's a wrestling hold, where you get the older guy around the neck and choke him to death if you feel like it. So I did."
These quotes stood out to me because it helped me understand the type of person that Holden is. The quotes show that Holden still acts like a child even thought he's a junior in high school. He tap-danced and put Stradlater in a wrestling hold because he was bored a because he wanted to. Teenager are apparently supposed to act maturely but Holden still acts like a kid and is probably still one at heart like most teenagers in life.
Samantha Ramirez
ReplyDeleteBand B
"I kept thinking about Jane, and about Stradlater having a date with her and all. It made me so nervous I nearly went crazy. I already told you what a sexy bastard Stradlater was." page 34
This line stood out to me most because it was amazing how the author portrays this new feeling of jealously out of Holden. It's not like any other ordinary jealously you'll read out of a novel, it's very different and unique. Tjis line made me stop and really think, what is Holden really going through? It's got some sense of humor and envy mixed inbetween these few choice of words, and it made me also think what's his next step? Is he going to go down there and stop them? Is he going to try and "steal" her? Now he's got to write this report for a guy who's going on a date with a girl he seems to have meaningful history with. Did she mean something special to him? Were they together at some point? The way he acted immediately after Stradlater said his name showed a sense of mixed emotions, and this line clears up all of that to jealousy. This is what only one line did to me, making me wonder all these questions. This is why this line stood out to me so much.
Oscar Belkin-Sessler
ReplyDeleteOctober 8, 2012
The Catcher in The Rye
“I’d only been in about two fights in my life, and I lost both of them. I’m not too tough. I’m a pacifist, if you want to know the truth” (PG 46)
I chose this quote for my reader response for a couple of reasons. The first was that it came out funny to the reader, when I read this I really got a feeling of Holden’s humor and wittiness. I learned not only about his humor but also about his fighting skills. Now after reading this and looking back on what I’ve seen of Holden I don’t really believe it. I recall the scene where Holden puts his friend in a chokehold for no reason. In this reading we see that Holden is depressed and lonely. He needs someone to talk to and we are the perfect someone. He likes speaking directly to the reader, and he exhibits that in this line. I feel that he calls himself a pacifist almost like an excuse. He wants to excuse himself from being someone who fights, and he wants to cover up his real self. I feel that he considers himself a pacifist, but society would not. I personally have never been in a fight where blood is drawn, but naturally we are two different people, but why does he get into these fights anyways? I feel that it is his stubbornness. He is someone that does not coexist easily, and he likes things his way. I also feel that he is a bit touchy. On the other hand, he is mistreated and misunderstood. I think this most recent fight, had a lot to do with Jane.
Jenna Lief
ReplyDeleteB Band
A line that stood out to me was " 'Hey,' I said. 'Don't tell her I got kicked out, willya?' " It stood out to me because Holden always made himself out to be the kind of guy that doesn't care what other people think of him and he doesn't like phony people. To me, this seems like Holden is trying to cover up his disappointments to make himself look better. This relates to people in general because I've seen many people around me, especially in the past couple of months, saying, for example, how they don't care what anyone thinks of them but then they're suddenly making sure they always look good for certain people. People always want to make themselves look better and more confident then they actually are, and I think the sentence I chose portrays that perfectly.
“He’s[Allie] dead now… I broke all the windows in the garage” (38-39).
ReplyDeleteAllie seemed like one of the only people that Holden liked. From what we have read Holden doesn’t go in to detail in why he liked someone as much as he did for Allie. I think that after Allie died Holden felt like he couldn’t like anyone anymore or they might die. It made him feel like the world was unfair. The reason Holden got mad when Allie died and not sad was because he felt like he should have died instead of Allie. Why should the amazing and intelligent person have to die when the messed up, expelled kid get to live?
"You remember I said before that Ackley was a slob in his personal habitts? Well, so was Stradlater, but for in a different way. Stradlater was more of a secert slob."
ReplyDeleteThese lines stood out to me because it shows what kind of person he is. I feel like he looks deep into things and to see how people really are. But also Holden doesnt like fake people and Stradlater is sort of a fake. He looks clean but he is really dirty unlike ackley who is dirty and doesnt try to hide it. Lastly as you keep reading he make this intersting connection about how Ackley is poor and dirty and Stradlater is drity and rich. I think he made is connection because he expect for the people with more money to be clean and not so dirty.
When Holden was talking about Stradler, he didn't want to admit that he was a handsome guy. He would say he was yearbook handsome, but he was a slob. Stradler couldn't be good looking to him. Then, Holden started talking about how Stradler was in love with himself because he fixed himself up before he went out. I think that this shows the way society was back then, relating to the way society is now. You can never be perfect in anyone's eyes, no matter how hard people try, like Stradler. That is just like what is wrong with society right now, but I feel that it happens more often with girls than boys. Girls wear makeup, do their hair, and spend a good half hour picking out their outfits, scared that somebody will judge them. Like what Holden was saying, people are still going to judge you. Holden didn'nt want to say that Stradler was handsome, he was only saying that he was yearbook handsome, and how he was obsessed with himself. I think that the same thing is happening now.
ReplyDelete"Thats the way you can always tell a moron. They never want to discuss anything intelligent" (page 44-45) I like this quote because it shows how much Holdon gets pleasure from stating the obvious to people. I also like it because it is not over written, it is a very simple idea that is never said. I love Holden's personality and think it is stated well here because it shows his sarcasm and bluntness. I think Holdon is a very complex person so i like quotes when he is really simple because it evens out his persona.
ReplyDelete“You remember I said before that Ackley was a slob in his personal habits? Well, so was Stradlater, but in a different way. Stradlater was more of a secret slob. He always looked all right, Stradlater, but for instance, you should seen the razor he shaved himself with. It was always rusty as hell and full of lather and hairs and crap. He never cleaned it or anything.”
ReplyDeleteThroughout the book, Holden has proved his hatred for phonies. I think that this quote shows how Holden is very judgmental about little things. For example, Stradlater always makes himself out to be a very clean and handsome guy, but Holden sees this and focuses on the fact that on the outside, he is very clean, but little things like is razor, are dirty. This reflects on his obvious hatred for "phonies”, because he hates when people aren’t themselves, and fake who they are. He sees Stradlater as a slob, but he is “a secret slob” because he hides the “slob” part of his personality. He makes people think that he is a clean, tidy person, even though he actually is a slob, which him a “phony”.
Ch. 7 and 8
ReplyDelete"I usually buy a ham sandwich and about four magazines. If I'm on a train at night, I can usually even read one if those dumb stories in a magazine without puking. You know." (53)
A magazine is something that most likely is aimed to interest the majority of society. Holden hates how phony these articles are but he claims he still can read them. He exaggerates by saying that normally he would puke reading the magazine stories but won't in the night. At the end he says "you know" as if the reader understands what he's talking about. I personally don't understand what he's talking about. If he hates the magazine articles so much and normally figuratively pukes how can he read them normally during the night?
“The first thing I did when I got off at Penn station, I went into this phone booth. I felt like giving somebody a buzz. I left my bags right outside the booth so that I could watch them, but as soon as I was inside, I could think of anybody to call up.”
ReplyDeleteI think that this quote shows Holden desperately trying to find a friend to support him. Throughout the book, Holden has shown that he just wants to have a close friend, for example, by writing Stradlater’s memo. In this quote, he has just got off of the train to New York City, and he trying to find somebody to call up to hang out with. However, he can’t find anyone to call. This stood out to me, because throughout the book, he has shown two sides to him, one being the person who always judges people, or thinks everyone is a phony, and another side that just wants a friend, and shows it through little attempts to be friendly with people. However, in this quote, you can see how the to sides are contradicting each other, because the judgmental side in him is preventing him from making friends, and narrowing the only person that he wants to call down to his sister.
I completely agree with you, i have noticed that he has had mixed personalities in the book so far and i think that it might have to do with the fact that he is not ready to grow up. He hasn't gained the ability to make tough decisions about life and to take the responsibilities that he must have as a teenager. He is just struggling to find out who he is and he hasn't a clue about what to do.- Connor O'Rourke
DeleteI totally agree, that part also stood out to me. It shows that Holden actually wants friends but his judgmental side doesn't let him. I think that maybe he is so judgmental because he is also like many of the people he judges or maybe because he feels the need to judge so he can feel better about himself. He isn't happy with the way he is so he feels like he also needs to point out the bad stuff in other people.
Delete"Her son was doubtless the biggest bastard that ever went to Pencey, in the whole crumby history of the school. He was always going down the corridor, after he'd had a shower, snapping his soggy old wet towel at people's asses. That's exactly the kind of guy he was."
ReplyDeleteThis thought that was in Holden's mind when he was on the train whilst sitting next to the mother of someone he really hates says a lot about such distinctions between inner and outer thoughts. It may seem that one is interested based on his/her's outer expressions but on the inside, in their inner mind, they could be thinking something completely different. Holden seems to have two alternate realities, his inner thoughts and the outside world and he has no specific way of keeping them under control. Holden, i find can be quite a character you can relate to because everyone is individual and unique in terms of their overall perspective of the world.- Connor O'Rourke
“I spent the whole night necking with a terrible phony named Anne Louise Sherman.” pg 63
ReplyDeleteThe reason this line stood out to me was the fact that he called the girl a phony. In the book Holden seems to think everyone besides himself are fake and phony, I was beginning to wonder why he thought that. Is it because he might be fake and phony too or he just doesn’t have a wide range of vocabulary? I honestly don’t understand what’s so fake about these people; do they not meet his expectations to be considered real? I’m not trying to say there aren’t fake people in the world, just that everyone we have been introduced to so far Holden describes them as being fake and morons and every possible negative aspect about them is said, but he never says something nice about the person. There are, in everyone negative and positive aspects about them. But with Holden everything is on the dark side there is no light and honestly it annoys me a little. For example with Ackley he says that he thinks Ackley is horrible and everything but, he is right there talking with him and stuff, so what is the point of calling someone fake when you are still going to talk to them that’s just being a hypocrite and I think that Holden is a big hypocrite, but then again so is everyone. I’m not trying to make Holden seem like a bad guy but the way he acts makes him seem like one. I think maybe he is afraid of letting everyone see who he is and he feels as though if he starts to see the good in people they might disappoint him in the end or he might be afraid that people might just be disappointed with the real Holden? He is such a complex character and it truly is hard to believe that he so stubborn and just one sided there isn’t a good and bad side with Holden, there is just a bad. And when there is a little bit of good he says or does something to make that light go away and makes me just dislike him more.
Oscar Belkin-Sessler
ReplyDeleteThe Catcher in the Rye
October 9, 2012
Chapter 8-9
“Then I started shooting the old crap around a little bit. ‘He adapts himself very well to things. He really does.’” (Pg 55)
When Holden says this he is talking about Ernest, a boy from his school that he does not like. Holden is suiting on the train talking to Ernest’s mother, and all of the sudden he gets this earge to mess with her. This has happened a number of times previously in the book. I think he does this because he is somewhat lonely. Messing with people is his way of communicating, and when he doesn’t communicate/interact with people he gets lonely. The last time Holden did this kind of thing was with Ackley. Ackley is someone that Holden does not like very much, and someone who can get on his nerves. So why does he go and wake him up, calling him a prince and complementing him? I think its cause he is lonely. He would rather be on bad terms with someone and talk to him or her, than be on good terms and not talk to him or her. I think he does this kind of thing for another reason. He is impulsive. Throughout what I have read I have seen that he is impulsive in a number of ways. The first of which is lying. He lies constantly without thinking. The other is teasing and messing around, like this, he does this constantly and it just comes to him. A lot of the time when he is teasing, he likes to tell the person that they are great or he complements them. I think he does this because part of him wants to hear those things. Sometimes people say things that they would want to be told. Holden doesn’t seem like someone who gets a lot of compliments, but he does seem like someone who wants compliments.
"Almost every time someone gives me a present, it ends up making me sad"
ReplyDeleteThis line stood out to me because I didn't really know why it made him sad. I understand why it would make him sad if they got the wrong present, but almost every time someone got him a present?! Shouldn't it make him happy thinking that someone went out of their way to get him something? I guess this made him sad to think that someone could have given pity for him thinking of what he doesn't have. But i highly doubt that. I find that Holden is a very complex character and this line practically proves my point because it is extremely hard to analyze. This also made me think of who else other that family gets him presents? He practically despises all of his "friends", so why would they get him a present? MAybe its just because they dont know that Holden doesn't like them.
"He was two years younger than I was, but about 50 times as intelligent." Holden says about his little brother Allie, dead now. Interesting, being younger than Holden, and yet, Holden looks up to him. He was one of the few things and/or people in Holden's life that felt REAL to him. Someone who's actually smart. Who isn't a phony. Holden truly loved his brother. The loss of him haunts Holden forever, and this is another quote that shows the power of his relationship with his deceased brother. Touching, and in a way, fascinating. I think the people that Holden actually likes are the ones that are smarter than him. Holden hates himself. He thinks lowly of himself in terms of his intelligence, and success. Anyone at his level Holden doesn't respect, because he doesn't respect himself.
ReplyDelete"He wouldn't believe me. People never believe you."
ReplyDeleteI think its ironic that Holden complains that people don't believe him while at thee same time admitting to being a chronic liar. I think that this shows how unsure Holden is about himself. It seems like this will play out as a major theme throughout the book. A lot of what will show up is Holden trying to find himself between these contradictions. It's the only way he will accept himself and be able to appreciate the things he truly loves, like Jane or Phoebe.