The Catcher in the Rye #8

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

"The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one" (Salinger, 188).

The entire book of The Catcher in the Rye brought up the topic of growing up. Holden clearly does not want to grow up and does not want anyone else to have to either. Although Holden does not seem to be clear of mind throughout the novel, he seemed to be in a lot of stress for many reasons. All adolescents reach this point in time where they feel alone and feel like they do not fit in. The death of his brother seemed to be right in the middle of the confused phase leading for Holden to feel and be worse than he already was. The note that Mr. Antolini gave Holden seemed to help him understand what he was doing with his life. At this point, he wanted to be noticed for acting out and later noticed for staying young in an adult world. The quote seems to help Holden realize he needs to live for helping people stay young, but that it should not matter if he failed or not as long as he tried to reach it. Also, the ending of the novel might not seem totally clear and straightforward. I think that is because the change was not physical but philosophical for Holden. Holden had a change of mind about his situation as he spoke to many people that made him examine his life and purpose. Through the few days Holden spent roaming, I believe he learned more than he would have if he stayed at school. 

The Catcher in the Rye #7

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

"All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she's fall of the goddam horse, but I didn't say anything or do anything. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them" (Salinger, 211).

The change in Holden and the realization Holden makes about himself and the world around him comes at the very end of the novel. As he watches Phoebe on the carousel, he knows that despite everything he could do to prevent children from growing up, they still have to grow up eventually. The theme of the novel comes from Holden not wanting to move into having responsibility and worry like an adult has. Overall, Holden does not want to be like his parents or end up in a situation like his parents are. Holden wants to stay young and keep young. The quote deals with Holden's realization that he cannot prevent anyone from growing up, even himself or Phoebe. He has to deal with growing up and that sometimes he can fall, but that if he is not allowed to fall, he will not know how to get back up. I believe that this allows Holden to move on past his brother's death and everything surrounding it to live a life for himself and not for his brother.

The Catcher in the Rye #6

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

"That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be" (Salinger, 173).

As the novel comes to an end, it is evident that Holden wants to be a "catcher in the rye." He initially mentions it early in the book as he hears a kid singing a song about it while he was roaming the city. When he speaks to his sister, he finally explains what it means. He wants to catch children before they have to face the adult world and grow up. Holden especially wants to catch his sister and this seems to be his goal once he goes home to see her. He sees her growing up and he wants to ensure that she doesn't do that before he even has the chance to. When Holden goes to her school, he realizes that it is not just Phoebe that he needs to save from growing up, but the children at her school. As he walks the halls to give her the note to meet him, he sees the derogatory words written on the walls and does his best to get rid of them. The idea Holden has of catching children before they grown up changes him and his goal in life. Through the novel, Holden reaches a place where he belongs. He belongs as the catcher in the rye.

The Catcher in the Rye #5

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

"She's very neat, for a child. I mean she doesn't just throw her stuff round, like some kids. She's no slob" (Salinger, 159).

Holden's relationship seems to be complicated based on the information Holden shares with the reader. He mostly complains about his parents and older brother while caring for his sister. The death of his brother has definitley rocked the relationship of his family where they are not comfortable together. I think this is partly why Holden seems to be acting out especially because he is gone away at school. One thought would be that Holden reminds his parents of his brother too much so they sent him away to a variety of boarding schools. Personally, if my family was as nervous and emotionally rattled like his family seems to be, I would want to go away from my family for a while. The other conflict Holden seems to be having with his family is with his sister growing up too fast. Holden quickly notes how Phoebe acts much more grown up when he goes home to see her. She is sleeping and living in D.B.'s room with all of the large furniture, she is neat, and she dresses like an adult. This hurts Holden knowing that she is ready to grow up faster than he is. Also, Holden notes how his mother is usually up in the middle of the night smoking because she is so nervous and can't sleep after his brother died. The reminder of his parent's struggling as adults does not coax Holden any more about being an adult. Overall, the stress and anxiety after Allie's death seems to keep the family from being close. This seems to be a main reason for Holden acting out and wanting to stay an ignorant kid.

The Catcher in the Rye #4

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

"I took my red hunting hat out of my pocket and put it on - I didn't give a damn how I looked" (Salinger, 88).

The symbols of the novel help to characterize Holden and provide meaning to Holden's actions and motivation for his actions. First, the red hunting hat. Holden continuously removes and puts on his red hunting hat starting in his room back at Pencey. From what I noted, the hat seems to be a comfort to Holden. Also, his family is noted to have red hair. Maybe there is a meaning that the comfort Holden seeks in his family that he cannot find, is replaced by the red hunting hat he wears. Also, the hat seems to be a barrier between Holden and the real world as the hat can be childish at sometimes. A few times while putting the hat on in public, Holden follows it with "I didn't give a damn how I looked" (Salinger, 88), noting that he needs the comfort of it but also understands that it makes him insecure and secure at the same time. Also, the cigaretts that Holden continuously smokes seem to comfort him when he is distressed. He smokes before and after almost every situation and follows him lighting up with the stress and anxiety that he seems to be feeling about his adventure. On page 98, Holden is then caught speaking to his brother out loud. Holden definitely seems to be missing his brother and his family. The many left out items could mean that Holden is leaving something out about what happened to his family between the time his brother died and when he starting getting kicked out of boarding school. This leads to believing that he has PTSD. He seems to be unsure of how to cope with everything and instead searches for feeling but then resorts back to finding comfort in the hat and in smoking. 

The Catcher in the Rye #3

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

"But I couldn't take a chance on giving her a buzz, because she was only a little kid ad she wouldn't have been up, let alone anywhere near the phone" (Salinger,  66-7).

The effects of first person take a prevalence as Holden enters and becomes apart of the city. Holden seems to be commonly leaving out details of his past such as his sister Phoebe and his brother Allie. Holden does not mention details until he is provoked by something. The glove for Allie and loneliness and confusion for Phoebe. Apart from leaving out details, the first person perspective from Holden's point of view can make issues seem dramatic to Holden. There is no accountability for Holden and what he says and does as there is not one familiar with him around. He countlessly uses the words hate, love, and kill loosely. This also lessens is accountability as a narrator as the words are immature and dramatic for situations that would probably be ordinary for someone else. He says "that killed me" (Salinger, 74) many times throughout for situations that clearly did not kill him or he would not be here to tell the story. Also, knowing from the beginning that Holden is writing this after the fact means that details could have been added or left out but there is again no one to hold Holden accountable for the details of his adventure.  Lastly, the dramatic instances of Holden blaming everyone else for his actions shows that Holden is wanting to convince the reader that he is not at fault for what he does. This also leads to distorted stories where the truth is blurry in the text.

The Catcher in the Rye #2

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

"I didn't know thta the goddam hotel was full of perverts and morons... In my mind, I'm probably the biggest sex maniac you ever saw" (Salinger, 61-2).

As Holden has progressed from being and Pencey to being in the city, he seems to be a character that molds to situations at hand. Early on in the novel, it seemed that Holden was cussing more frequently at Pencey than he does once he reaches the city. It seems as if Holden's actions are influenced by those around him most likely because he is self-conscious. I once believed that Holden was most likely homosexual or having a mental disorder. From the end of the first half of the book, Holden does not seem that way anymore. Instead of having an issue of those sorts, Holden seems to just be lost in his identity in the world and therefore conforms to the situation that he is in. After seeing all of the people that he noted as perverted, Holden then reflects on his views in that way noting how he is like them yet he disapproves of them and their actions. Furthermore, Holden acts and wants to be independent of everyone yet when he is lonely, he caves in his loneliness and wants to have a companion after leaving all of them behind when he left Pencey. Clearly, Holden is having issues with identifying who he is in the world and how he interacts with those around him.

The Catcher in the Rye #1

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

"'May I ask your name, dear?'

'Rudolph Schmidt,' I told her. I didn't feel like giving her my whole life story'" (Salinger, 54-5).

Throughout this entire first half of the novel, Holden has made it clear that he does not appreciate or respect people he believes to be phony. There seems to be an irony in what Holden expects out of other people and what he does. After complaining of phony people, Holden lies himself to the people around him. The phoniness that Holden dislikes is coming from himself as he is phony to the people around him when he lies. To follow up Holden lying about who he is, he lies about having a tumor. Holden's complaints of phonies do not seem reliable as he is doing the same to the people around him and then later to the prostitute. Holden seems to be having an issue with himself in the world he is in. He seems to be in denial that he is growing up and becoming just like everyone else. The irony in what he says shows the battle he is having internally with growing up and externally with dealing with the phony world he lives in.