- The ducks
- Jane keeping her Kings in the back row
- Holden's discussion of suitcases
- The museum
- The carousel and the golden ring
- His red hat
- Wanting to be a catcher in the rye
- Phoebe's notebook
- Other
Option 2:
- Provide your observations and insights. Include a quote that you think is the most essential for these chapters.
Holden's discussion about suitcases was, in the literal sense, another of Holden's anecdotes about one of his roommates. It was about this one roommate that was embarrassed about the quality of his suitcases, and would rather have claimed Holden's as his own. This anecdote symbolized something on a much larger scale. It symbolized how superficial people could be. Many people are embarrassed about their status in life if they are beneath others. They would rather put on a front, and appear more well off than they are. They would rather keep up a "good appearance" than be themselves. This fits in with the book as a whole because one of the larger themes is about being genuine versus being superficial. This is a rather large theme as Holden is fed up with everyone around him that is superficial. As a kid who has grown up in a wealthy family Holden is often without people who are genuine.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in a wealthy family would definitely expose Holden to plenty of "phonies". Between the colleagues of his parents and his peers at the boarding schools, he is definitely around a lot of fake, snobbish people. Growing up in this kind of environment, one cannot blame him for rejecting this lifestyle so strongly. The suitcase is a great symbol of this: most people would enjoy having an extravagant suitcase because people would think they were high class and model people, and vice versa. Holden does not want this though: he feels bad that he is above someone else.
DeleteI agree with all this yet I think it is odd that he still felt weird by the nuns who had inexpensive suitcases. Holden prefers genuine people yet he was being judgmental by judging the type of suitcase they have. I think the suitcase can also represent that Holden was wanting of equality. He wanted the ladies to have the same type of suitcase as them. He felt bad for the guy who had worse suitcases as himself.
DeleteHolden was very weird about the suitcases. He almost liked to judge people off of if they had expensive suitcases or not. I never thought of it in a superficial or genuine theme. I agree though that he doesn't experience a genuine personality in his lifestyle since he grew up in a rich family, whom are usually associated with a superficial personality. Did he really feel bad for the nuns or was it just him putting on a front?
DeleteI would agree that an underlying theme is the superficiality of people. One of the things that stuck out to me was when Holden was talking about visiting Allie's grave. He was angry that people could leave the cemetery when it was raining, and just go to dinner. They could just leave their deceased loved ones. I think Holden saw them as superficial, because they could go do something fun after they went to the cemetery.
DeleteIn The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger, the author writes a final scene where Holden takes his little sister, Phoebe, to ride on the carousel. I believe that this is where the resolution to the internal troubles Holden has been facing throughout the story happens. Phoebe, like the other kids, begins to reach for the gold ring on the carousel even though she is close to falling off. “The thing with kids is, if they want to grab 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.” (Page 211). I believe this ultimately inspired and awoken Holden to take the risk and reach maturity himself which is represented when he gets “so damn happy.” (Page 213). He makes the allusion that the advice and pressure he got to be mature only made it worse, and it was something the he ultimately needed to do alone. Holden finally makes the decision to go home, which also represents the coming to maturity, because he runs from both throughout the entire story, which is where the conflict meets the resolution, ending the book.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you related the going home to a resolution and Holden maturing. I think that Holden really was sick of people telling him what to do because they didn't understand the pain he went through with losing his brother. I think if he had more time to recover from that and possibly whatever encounters he had with men making him uncomfortable then maybe he'd be better. I think the carousel represents his youth and the gold bar is not something he wants to reach yet because people keep telling him what to do.
DeleteI think one of the most important symbols of “The Catcher in the Rye” was Holden’s red hunting hat.
ReplyDelete“I took off my coat and my tie and unbuttoned my shirt collar; and then I put on this hat that I'd bought in New York that morning. It was this red hunting hat, with one of those very, very long peaks. I saw it in the window of this sports store when we got out of the subway, just after I noticed I'd lost all the goddam foils. It only cost me a buck. The way I wore it, I swung the old peak way around to the back--very corny, I'll admit, but I liked it that way. I looked good in it that way.” Holden likes the hat, but he is embarrassed to be seen wearing it. The hat represents his desire for individuality, while his embarrassment from wearing it shows that he does not want to be viewed so differently from others. This serves to provide a very interesting contrast between protecting himself from the outside world with a layer of cynicism and wanting acceptance in being his own person. These things are all part of growing up, and Holden has trouble coming to terms with them.
In conclusion, the hat represents how Holden is having trouble with growing up: he wants to become his own person, but at the same time he is too concerned with how others think of him to be himself. It contributes to the overall story by being a literal object to describe this internal turmoil. It is interesting to note that Holden never talks about the hat as a symbol, he only describes it as a hat, nothing more. He also never talks outright about his mental instability, something we are treated to throughout the novel. Because it is written in first-person, we only see this world through Holden’s eyes. This makes it easier to overlook his phoniness and believe his claims about other people. Additionally, we have to remember that Holden is a very unreliable narrator, describing things with so much of his own flare that it is impossible to tell if things actually happened the way he claims. Nonetheless, the hat still serves as a reliable symbol of Holden’s mental state and the inner conflict he is having.
I agree, I think Holden's trouble in growing up is a major theme throughout the book. Towards the end of the book, Holden gives the hat to his sister, but she gives it back. I think that may have reflected how already so much mature she was than Holden. That seems to push Holden towards revelation. It was also in this scene (with the carousel) where Holden has a "revelation" or comes to maturity.
DeleteI must admit I did not really think about the hat as a symbol. I think the hat is protective and symbolic of his innocence. Why do you think that he gives the hat to Phoebe? Is there any symbolism in that?
DeleteHolden's wanting to be the catcher in the rye is huge for this story, even though it is only a small part of it. Literally, he wants to be the one to save all of these children from dying, he wants to be the hero, he wants to mean something and do good for others. He clearly wants to be able to help other people to make his life meaningful. It symbolizes also that he wanted to be able to help Allie and save him from passing from leukemia. The idea of one guy trying to catch a bunch of kids from dying at once, is a glamorous idea, but not a likely one. Just as the idea of saving Allie from death was. There was nothing Holden could actually do to save Allie, and it would have been a miracle if he could. This small part contributes to the whole text because there is this underlying sensation of wanting to help others that Holden feels throughout the entire book. It makes it difficult to dislike Holden as much as we would like to. Holden either is unaware of this feeling that he has, or he is trying to hide and deny it and just replace it with the feeling of anger towards the world and everything within it.
ReplyDeleteI think it is key that Holden imagines all of the children playing baseball. Holden is concerned throughout the story about everyone being a phony. To him no one is truly real and genuine. The few people that are real to him are all children. It would make sense that all of the kids are playing baseball because games are synonymous with children playing, and children playing is the most genuine thing about a child.
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Holden's discussion on suitcases was quite odd in this story. His discussion on suitcases included his roommate Dick Slagle. Slagle had inexpensive suitcases and would hid them under the bed, pretending that Holden's suitcases were his since they were nicer. He seemed very jealous of Holden's suitcases, but then again he called them bourgeois, as if he was making fun of Holden being rich. Salinger wrote, "'It is hard to be roommates with people if your suitcases are much better than their's'" The suitcases are a big symbol in the story. They symbolize the different classes in society, between rich and poor. Holden feels bad for the people with cheap suitcases since his are better. He feels ashamed that he has so much money and just throws his life away while there are people who are less fortunate and have to actually work for their stuff.
ReplyDeleteHolden is definitely tired of living in a pompous, snobbish society. He does not want people to judge him based on his possessions, nor does he want to judge others in this way. Holden is a part of the upper class, as are many of his boarding school peers, but he wants out of it. He wants to live in a genuine society, something he has never really been a part of.
DeleteHe feels bad for a lot of people throughout the story when they don't have as much as he has. I think it partially relates to Allie's death and the idea that he feels bad because he has life and Allie doesn't. I don't think that Holden has a great perspective of himself, and I think deep down he thinks pretty terribly of himself. So because of this, I think that he feels bad when others don't have as much as him because he doesn't think that he necessarily deserves to have anything more than anyone else.
DeleteThe idea that Allie's death reinforces Holden's insecurity with his material wealth is new insight I had not really though of. However, it would make sense because Holden mentions how he feels bad that he didn't let Allie come with him to Lake Sedebego with Holden's friend Bobby. This is one moment in his life that he repeatedly relives when he is alone and depressed. SO, this shows that Holden feels bad about some things related to Allie's death, and it would make sense that other things Holden does/thinks could be due to the death of his little brother.
DeleteIn these chapters we see the title of the book come into play when Holden explains how he wants to be a catcher in the rye. When Phoebe asks him what he wants to do with his life, he replies, “...I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all,” (173). First, this is just more proof that Holden lives, almost, in an unrealistic fantasy world. Instead of dealing with the fact that he needs to get his life together, apply himself in school, and land a job that can provide for him, he retreats into this imaginary future, where he can be a catcher in the rye, rather, than something practical like a lawyer. Also, the fact that he wants to be a catcher in the rye and save children, kind of goes to show how Holden wants to protect the innocence of children. Just like when Holden visits Phoebe’s school and sees vulgar language written in different places and gets very worked up over it because the children just should not know about that kind of stuff because they are incredibly innocent in his eyes. Holden wants to hold on to this view because he can relate to children more, or at least be comfortable around them because they are innocent and real, while adults are “phonies”. However, it is unrealistic and illustrates just how detached from the real world Holden is.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I think it shows how immature Holden is, but could be a metaphor for since he himself is "falling." Towards the end of the book his teacher says that he is in for a "great fall" and perhaps all he wishes is to be able to catch himself from the bad path he's going down. Him standing on the edge of the cliff symbolizes how close he is to going off the deep end.
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ReplyDeleteIn “The Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger, the ducks in Central Park’s lagoon leave every winter and Holden always wonders where they go. He wonders if someone takes them away or if they just fly away. Holden would ask his taxi drivers where the ducks went and they would get annoyed that he was asking such an odd question. I think the ducks represent something further than just ducks leaving. I think in a way it relates to his brother Allie’s death. Holden is so worried that this pain inside him is going to last forever about his death, but it’s only temporary. Just like the ducks in Central Park are only temporary. “But I didn't see any ducks around. I walked all around the whole damn lake--I damn near fell in once, in fact- -but I didn't see a single duck,” (Salinger, 154.) Holden was looking for the ducks when he was drunk. When someone is drunk they tend to be in a more vulnerable state of mind. He was expressing what his inner voice felt. This depicted his feelings towards his dead brother, Allie. Holden was still unwilling to let go of the relationship he had with Allie. He was letting it take a toll on his lifestyle and happiness. He ducks are also representative of the fact that Holden did not like change in ways such as losing his brother. The ducks left every winter. His brother left and he was always changing schools. I think this had a negative impact on his life and Holden needed something stable in his life. I believe this is why Holden is so interested in having a girl but everyone is “phony” to him so he can’t get a girl. Holden also later says that the pond is partly frozen and partly not frozen and he questions why there aren’t ducks on the non-frozen part. I think that this shows how Holden is not willing to let go like with the ducks but he isn’t willing to let go of Allie and parts of his childhood. He is stuck in the non-frozen part of the lake wanting to be free and do whatever he wants rather than starting his life and establishing something constant like with frozen ice.
The museum where Holden goes to look for his sister Pheobe is significant to the story because it is a rare occasion where Holden is happy. Throughout most of his narration, Holden is lost and unpleasant, though thinking of the museum makes him happy. He states that, "The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was." He seems mildly interested in the actual displays at the museum but his favorite part was that every time you went there the only thing that changed was you. Many of the examples he gave of things about you that could change between visits to the museum, such as wearing an overcoat this time or hearing parents fighting outside the bathroom, are not simply things that physically change when you age, but things that you start noticing as you mentally grow and mature. This, in a way, reflects Holden's fear of growing up. After describing the exhibits he says, "Certain things should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone." He is envious of the museum's ability to live in a moment, something he doesn't have the power to do.
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