The Catcher in the Rye-final

As “The Catcher in the Rye” concludes, Holden has temporarily found his place in the world at home. Through the entirety of the novel, we are only brought on about two or three days of Holden’s journey after being kicked out of Pencey for failing too many classes. Although throughout the novel, I really hated the slow pace of happenings, I finally understand why J.D. Salinger wrote the novel in such a style. Because the events of the novel were drawn out over a short time period, Salinger was able to create the sense of feeling lost and hopeless. Throughout the novel, Holden is not sure where he belongs in life because he feels that no one truly needs him. When Holden finally decides to sneak home and visit Phoebe, he tells her that he wants to be a “catcher in the rye,” so that he can catch young children before they fall off of a cliff and save their life. This image is significant in Holden’s journey because he needs someone in his life to catch him before he completely falls, emotionally. In the last chapter, Phoebe and Holden are at the museum, and Phoebe wraps her arms around Holden and gives him a kiss before placing a hat on his head. During this moment, Holden was able to feel through Phoebe’s affection that he was needed by someone, his younger sister. Ultimately, Phoebe ended up being the “catcher in the rye” for Holden, saving him from giving up completely.

The Catcher in the Rye--blog4

As The Catcher in the Rye continues to unfold, Holden is still lost amongst his journey. He continues to debate whether or not to go home sooner than Wednesday or not for fear that his parents will discover he flunked out of school. Ultimately Holden sneaks into the family apartment late at night because he feels the need to visit with Phoebe, his sister. Upon entering her room, he sits and observes her as she sleeps for a short time. Holden remains silent during this period because he is reflecting on his life at home and how it has changed since he left for school. During this time, Holden may also be hoping that Phoebe will have a better life than he has had. No matter what he is thinking, the silence and break in action portrays a reminiscent mood.

When Holden decides to wake Phoebe up, she immediately figures out that he got kicked out of school again. Throughout this scene Phoebe kept saying, “Daddy will kill you. He’s going to kill you.” The repetition for effect through these words depicts that the relationship between Holden and his father is not healthy. Possibly Holden’s father expects too much out of Holden, or maybe he is not supportive of what Holden wants to do.

Phoebe asks Holden to tell her what it is he wants to do with his life. After some deliberation, Holden answers that he wants to “stand at the edge of a cliff [in the rye] and catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff.” This scene refers back in the novel to when the little boy was singing the “Catcher in the Rye” song. The little boy that Holden saw singing represents Holden in his younger years, carefree and happy. Now that Holden is older and struggling to find his place in this world, he remembers that song and understands the true meaning of its lyrics. Holden is on a mission to help others because he doesn’t want them to go through the same struggles that he has had to endure. Will Holden be able to accomplish his dream of becoming a catcher in the rye, or will his father obstruct his dreams?

The Catcher in the Rye--blog3

During this week’s reading, my mind kept wandering back to the novel How to Read Literature Like a Professor. Within that novel, the first chapter is entitled “Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When it’s Not).” The main parts of a quest include, a quester, a place to go, a reason to go there, challenges and trials, and the real reason to go (which is always self knowledge). The notes from Chapter 1 of How to Read Literature like a Professor also state that a quest can be long, but it can also be as small as going to get a loaf of bread.

In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is the quester. Holden’s final destination is supposed to be home, but amongst his aimless wandering, I am questioning whether or not he will actually end up there. The reason for his quest is that he got kicked out of Pencey for failing four classes. Along the way home, Holden must occupy himself for a few days so that his family doesn’t figure out he got kicked out of school if he returns home too soon. Holden experiences many trials and challenges as he has to move from place to place, pay for meals and housing, and try to socialize. Not being incredibly successful with any of these, Holden asks a girl to run away with him and eventually get married, but he is rejected. Will Holden eventually make his way home, or will he just get out of the city and live on his own?

Holden’s quest has been long and drawn out, but the real reason for his quest is to gain self-knowledge. Along this journey, Holden is sure to discover his place in this world, because the challenges and trials he experiences will help shape him into a better person.

Can I just add, thank God that you made us read How to Read Literature like a Professor?! :)

The Catcher in the Rye--blog2

Throughout this week’s reading of The Catcher in the Rye, I got the impression that not only is Holden lost in this world, but that he is experiencing many self confidence issues. Within the reading, Holden states that he wants to call home to talk to his sister, but “fears [his] parents will answer the phone.” Although Holden has not stated that there are family issues, I think that his wandering aimlessly stems from a lack of support from his parents. Holden also mentions his brother, Allie, many times throughout the book thus far, which makes me believe that there may have been a strain put on the family after the death of Allie. Although Holden is wandering throughout all of New York until Wednesday, will he actually return back home, or just keep wandering?
More aspects of the novel that point in the direction of low self confidence for Holden include his interaction with the girls and his comparisons with his siblings. While getting ready to go to the night club, Holden tells himself that he is the ugliest and dumbest person in the family. The low self esteem has to stem from a source, and I am beginning to believe it is his parents. While at the night club, Holden practically throws himself at three women, despite them being “unattractive.” To me, it is clear that Holden thinks so lowly of himself that he must settle for women he doesn’t even find attractive or intelligent. I am left questioning, will Holden find any self confidence on his journey home, or will he just wander for the remainder of his life?

The Catcher in the Rye--blog1

As “The Catcher in the Rye” begins, we are introduced to the main character of the novel, Holden. Holden begins speaking of an event that changed his life, yet doesn’t actually reveal what the event was. There is a flashback throughout this week’s reading that foreshadows what happened to Holden that changed his life.

In the first chapter, Holden states that he is being kicked out of Percey Prep School because he is failing four of his classes. Holden takes full responsibility for his actions, which reveals a character trait that will be important later on as the plot unfolds. If Holden takes responsibility for all actions that he commits, will he take responsibility for the event that changed his life if it was his fault?

When Holden’s English teacher, Mr. Spencer, discovers that he is being kicked out of school, he invites him over to his house to talk on more time before leaving. Holden mentions that the house is “old and musty.” Through these words, it is evident that not only is Holden still slightly immature, but also quite caught up in outer appearances. Mr. Spencer, throughout Holden’s entire visit, offers advice and guidance. Mr. Spencer appears to be Holden’s father figure so far in the novel.

So far throughout the novel, I have been questioning what Holden’s family is like. He seems to be a kid who doesn’t have a strong foundation, such as having commitment issues like in school and to the fencing team. Does Holden have parents who neglected him? Or does he even have parents at all?

Death of a Salesman---Blog 6

In the conclusion of the play, Death of a Salesman, Willy’s life comes to an end. Biff tells Willy that, “I am not a leader of men, Willy, and neither are you. You were never anything but a hard-working drummer who landed in the ash can like all the rest of them!” As Biff yells as Willy, he demonstrates that in order to achieve the “American Dream,” a person needs to do what they are good at, not at what society believes is the best. Throughout the play, Willy is incredibly caught up in how the rest of society views him, and because of this, he doesn’t pursue his true dreams. This play is still relevant in today’s society. Most of the time people are so caught up in how others view them that they forget to be true to themselves. What would happen to this world if every single person pursued a career where their skills would shine? Our world would be a much more successful and efficient place. We were all given certain God given talents, so why not use what we have and be successful rather than pretend to have what we don’t and fail.

Despite Willy's failures all through his life, he attempts to "grow" through his planting of a garden at the end of the novel. Willy begins to realize at the end of the play that his true talents come in gardening, not salesmanship. The garden symbolizes an attempt at rebirth, but the rebirthing process happens to late, as Willy ends up committing suicide. Willy proves that no matter what your talent may be, using your abilities wisely will result in success.

Death of a Salesman---Blog 5

During this reading, Willy has a flashback to when Biff discovered that he was cheating on Linda. At the beginning of the play, there is a “woman” that is unidentified. It is not until this point in the play that the reader discovers the mysterious woman is Willy’s mistress. The woman’s laugh at the beginning of the play foreshadows to the time when Biff shows up at his father’s hotel room and hears the woman laughing from the bathroom. Also at the beginning of the play, there are multiple references to Linda knitting stockings and Willy getting upset about her doing so. When the stockings were first mentioned, I simply thought that her patching up stockings symbolized their lack of money. After the discovery of Willy’s mistress, she asks him for the pair of stockings that he had promised her. The stockings not only connect the two women, but Willy’s anger about Linda patching up her old stockings proves that he wants her to have new stockings, like his mistress does.

Throughout the play, thus far, it is evident that each character is struggling with events from their past, especially Willy. Clearly Willy’s mental disorder stems from his past and the regrets that he has. I wonder, will Willy admitting his humanly faults result in a correction of his mental disorder?