FINAL QUESTIONS AND THOUGHTS

Do you think Holden will ever grow up?
Where does Holden end up in chapter 26?
How is Holden similar to everyone around his age?
Do you have to "grow up" to succeed in life?
Why did the book being written in first person alter how everyone may perceive Holden?


I don't know whether or not Holden will grow up. Mr. Antolini gives him great advice that he SHOULD follow, but the whole time he kept repeating how tired he was and how he couldn't concentrate- like a little kid would be if their mom was trying to tell them something important. When I finished the book, I honestly was so amazed by how it plays out. I wasn't sure if the author would ever make totally clear what he was trying to get across, but I think he got his point across with chapters 23-26. I even said to someone, " The book could have been those 4 chapters alone and it would've made sense to me." They were IMPORTANT. Hopefully everyone else reads!!

poem about marriage/love

married.



I thought about getting married once.
I was out of school and all, just walking around, really,
when i saw a married couple burst out of a church,
grinning, laughing, holding hands.

and for one lousy second, I
ACTUALLY pretended as if I had
just gotten married. only one, though.

I couldn't really get married. men
are all happy, then they get married, then
they turn into goddam phonies. I've seen it.

its all the "tuxedo" this and
"ring" that. I've only thought about
this a little, but I think- if you're
in love with someone, well,
maybe you don't need to get
married.

marriage is like proving to the
rest of the phonies that
you too have pledged to
forever live a life of phoniness.

but I'd probably stand
speechless, when they ask me:
"Speak now, or forever hold your peace."





-Holden's point of view, if you couldn't tell :)

question of the week

There are many characters throughout Catcher in the Rye whom Holden interacts with or refers to. In chapters 19 & 20 alone, he mentions Luce, Sally, his mother and father, Phoebe, and Allie. In your blog, choose one of these characters and analyze Holden's feelings toward that person. How does Holden feel about them? How does he try to connect to them? How are they significant to the entire book? Respond using examples from the text to support!


this Luce guy... I will be analyzing him!
one thing though.. after reading chapter 19, I thought he was using the word "flit" for a fancy or high-class person, but after talking with Rhyanne, I agree with what she thought.. he was using it in terms of a "gay person". that makes more sense...

Holden really likes this character, Luce. he meets him at the bar and has drinks with him, and really describes him, as he does with any other character, but with Luce, he may throw in a few negative comments, but overall he respects the guy. he tries talking to him about his sex life and the women he's been with. (you should also notice that in this chapter, he talks about how he "stood up when I ordered them so they could see how tall was and all and not think I was a goddam minor." this shows that he really is trying to look and seem older; this happens frequently throughout the book.) Luce continuously tries to get Holden off the topic, saying things like "Is this going to be a typical Caulfield conversation? I want to know right now." he really knows that Holden hasn't ever grown up, he always TRIES to act like he has, but Luce sees right through him, as Phoebe does later in chapter 22. this character is significant.. he kind of really proves to the reader how Holden is. not many times has Holden stumbled across a character that knew him previously and given their thoughts on him. finally, the reader can see how others see him, rather than just how Holden sees himself.

quote analysis.. from last week!

1. What does it say? (paraphrase and describe the context)
2. What does it mean? (analyze and explain)
3. Why does it matter? (explain the significance to the rest of the book)

on page 141

"Anyway, I'm sort of glad they've got the atomic bomb invented. If there's ever another war, I'm going to sit right the hell on top of it. I'll volunteer for it, I swear to God I will."

he says this right after talking about going to the christmas show and about "The Great Gatsby" and he wasn't being very negative or anything, and then all of a sudden he starts making comments about killing himself.

Holden makes many other statements about death or killing himself. he talks about jumping out of a window, sitting on top of an atomic bomb, etc. this means that obvioulsy he's not satisfied with his life. these statements usually come up around a time when he's unhappy with whats going on in his life. of cours,e he's never really satisfied with things, but he talks about suicide more often when he's especially depressed or thinking too hard about things.

this is significant because it gives a better insight to the reader about his attitude in life; it is one of the many aspects of Holden that contribute to the bigger picture- Holden can't grow up. in turn, he gets in fights or can't create relationships with people because he is so immature and can't even carry on a conversation; therefore he gets shot down and rejected, making him more depressed when he DOES think about it, which makes him start thinking these depressing thoughts of death.

oh boy, another song.

so this band, Say Anything, is EXTREMELY satirical and exaggerated and sarcastic. they sing about lots of things that people don't realize are issues, but when you hear their lyrics, you have to laugh. they're one of my top favorite bands...
a new cd came out in october, i just bought it, and here are the lyrics to a song that just makes me think of this book, sort of.

if you could find the actual song, that'd be even better.

SONG LYRICS

tuesday... the tenth.

after reading 12-15....

holden is super confusing. at many points in the book, you see him thinking one thing, and doing another. but in chapter 14, when he is getting beat up, he truly knows the man and girl aren't owed another 5 dollars from him, and he doesn't give in, so in turn they end up taking the money and beating him. hmm. i think that's one reason why he's NOT "phony."

chapter 12, the bar scene, reminds me a lot of the lunch room, for me at least. i sit with spencer and a select few other people. i've always been a people-watcher, it's just interesting. so in the lunch room, it feels like i'm there just watching, observing, noticing everyone else. even the little kids, they're so much easier to observe, because they haven't yet experienced being a teenager and caring about what others think, etc. it is somewhat similar to Holden's situation in the bar: he is alone, watching everyone else, making judgments. everyone does this, right?

its friday!

well hmm.
it seems like Holden needs a lot of help. not even psychiatric help, necessarily. he needs some friends, but he's never going to get any with that attitude of his. i feel bad for him... when his brother died, he probably was feeling a lot of things, but he had to go off to boarding school, so he couldn't talk to his sister or brother or anyone about it. i think that when his brother died, all his emotions stayed inside and he found some sort of hatred for the rest of the world.

its understandable. i've never haad a relative die, but if someone really close to you dies for no reason, you might wonder.." why them? they were such a good person. why does the rest of the world deserve to live?" so maybe he's feeling something like that. probably :)

literary analysis: reader response

since my email won't attach files to save it's life!

Intro to College Lit.

Literary Analysis: Reader Response

11/1/09

Haley Burbridge

J.D. Salinger wrote “Catcher in the Rye” in the midst of a time when everyone wanted to fit in, be accepted, and fulfill “The American Dream.” The book was very controversial for many reasons, a big one being the main character, Holden Caufield. In the book, Caufield is a high schooler who is completely cynical in everything he does, and doesn’t have a care in the world about his future.

I liked Holden Caufield from the first page. The book starts by explaining that he accidentally messed up his fencing team’s chance of their meet, but he didn’t really seem to care. He didn’t even get close enough to the school’s football game to pay attention, because he simply didn’t feel like it. I totally understand where he’s coming from, and I can relate. To me, his mindset is similar to thinking that just because everyone does something and wants to be a certain way, doesn’t mean he has to be. No one was put on this earth to be like anyone else. I think everyone has their own individual purpose in this world, and there’s no need to clutter your life with unwanted things, just because everyone else is doing so. Maybe he doesn’t have goals of doing well in school or obtaining a high-paying job later in life, but everyone has some kind of aspiration. And if he doesn’t-so what? It’s his choice what he does with his life.

I understand why this book was so controversial when it came out. In America, the 1950s were prime time for nuclear families, the typical homemaker and working husband, and everyone trying to succeed in that way. This book contradicts all of those ideals, so of course many people disagreed with this book’s message.

real world connection!

there's a song by Relient K that made me think of this book.. or maybe they were thinking of this book when they wrote it!?

have a listen...

"Apathetic Way To Be"

oh, and here's a snippet of the lyrics:

Yeah, I'm not angry
And no, I'm not upset
It's taken me awhile
But this is what I've learned
Emotional attachment is really not a threat
When I'm simply not concerned

HOLDEN HAS HEART

Finally! I wasn't sure if the author would every drop any hints, but chapter 5 did it for me. When he described his brother, I sort of thought "Hmm, maybe this is why he's so angry inside his head." Also, he feels SORRY for Ackley! Even though he's so goddam annoying, ;) , he feels bad for him because he has no friends and he has big hygiene problems. I like Holden even more after reading chapter 5. :)

chapters 1-4

Well! I like this book so far- I can relate to Holden Caufield's attitude about other people. He is very observant about things that many other people would never notice, which is quite similar to me. Honestly, he doesn't really have a bad attitude, just a different one. All the people who surround him are so positive about school and "the future" and whatever, but he sees things different;y, and I don't think its necessarily a bad thing. I can really relate to him; just because he isn't a perfect student and doesn't have a billion popular friends, does NOT mean he won't succeed. I like this guy. :)

pre-reading question

I will answer the following question:
3. Explain two struggles you or others face as you/they move from childhood to adulthood.

Well...hmm. I know for me, this transition is already starting to occur, so I can speak somewhat form my own experience. I have a job, and have had it since the month I turned 16. I REALLY think having a job before you go off to college, or move out, or graduate, helps you prepare yourself for adulthood. It has sometimes been tough, though. I can't always participate in weekend activities or attend all school events, but later I realize- that's how it will be when I'm older, so why not get used to it now? Ah hell, that's long enough. :) I'm tired anyway.

good morning

:D