We all know who Holden is. He's some punk kid who doesn't care about his grades or his future or anybody around him, or at least that's what he's telling us about himself. However, through his words and stories we get glimpses of a different Holden, one who is sensitive, curious, and emotional.
Several places throughout Catcher in the Rye, we have seen Holden's real personality instead of the personality he's built up as a guard. One place we can see the true Holden is in chapter 7 when Holden says "I felt so lonesome, all of a sudden. I almost wished I was dead." (Salinger, 48). This is one of the places where Salinger makes us feel sorry for Holden and we start to get a better idea of how lonely and depressed Holden really is.
In chapter 10 we start to feel even worse for Holden though. At this point he has left Pencey and he is at a night club trying to be social and friendly. He met these three women at this club and he started to dance with one of them but she wouldn't pay attention to him. "'You know when a girl's really a terrific dancer? ' 'Wadga say?' she said. She wasn't listening to me, even. Her mind was wandering all over the place."(Salinger, 71). Holden was already lonely and now he can't even get this girls attention. Here we start to be able to tell what he is feeling, not because he tells us what he's feeling but because he starts to insult them and as we have already found out, he covers his insecurity and emotions with a wall of insults. This shows how complex Holden is, sometimes he really makes it hard to feel bad for him because he is so rude but this is because he doesn't want pity from others. He just wants to live in his own sorrowful little world.
I thought this was a great post! When you were talking about how lonely Holden is, it reminded me of when he was talking to the taxi cab drivers. Ever since the loss of his brother, Holden hasn't really had anyone to talk to. When he's in the taxi, he tries to strike conversation with the drivers when he asks where the ducks go in the wintertime. I think this proves how lonely he is, also. Do you think that later on in the book Holden will find someone to talk to?
ReplyDeleteI think that this book will have one of two endings. I think Holden will find someone he can connect to and talk to about Allie and his problems, or Holden will end up killing himself. The reason I think the "solution" would be that extreme is because at the beginning we see that Holden is slightly lonely but as the book progresses, Holden gets more and more lonely and depressed, even to the point where he says he wants to get blown up in an atomic bomb. "If there's ever another war, I'm going to sit right the hell on top of it." (141). I hope that the latter doesn't happen so I'm going to say I hope he makes a friend, but I honestly have no idea. Do you agree with my thinking that if something doesn't change soon, Holden will probably commit suicide? Also, If he does meet someone, do you think it will be a new person or a person we've already been introduced to?
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing. This post reminds me of "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" by Whitman. When Holden doesn't throw the snowball, it is because he admires the perfection of the snowball. As readers we enjoy this, because it does show that Holden is sensitive and appreciate of others and nature. In the poem I referenced, the narrator enjoys the silence of the evening at the end and glances at the stars. I can envision Holden also enjoying this type of silence in his own life. However, I would also like for him to enjoy connections with others and I would like for him to take part in the activities that surround him. In the novel, what advice would you give to Holden so that he could establish more valuable connections with others?
This was a very good post! i really enjoyed reading it. While i was reading, these 2 sentences really caught my eye. "Holden was already lonely and now he can't even get this girls attention. Here we start to be able to tell what he is feeling, not because he tells us what he's feeling but because he starts to insult them and as we have already found out, he covers his insecurity and emotions with a wall of insults." While reading this and how holden was all alone it reminded me about the time he was alone on the train after the fencing game was supposed to happen. People didn't even aknowladge that he was with them. By the end of the book, do you think Holden will still be feeling the same or will he have made some friends?
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