ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
- Why does Holden seem so ambivalent about the adult world?
- Why does Holden fear or resist change?
- Why does Holden struggle to develop meaningful relationships with his family and peers?
SAMPLE POST:
Why does Holden seem so ambivalent about the adult world?
When describing the difference between what ads at Pencey promise and what the school is really like, Holden reveals how suspicious he is of the adult world . He doubts that "they do any more molding at Pencey than they do at any other school." (Salinger 2) Holden implies that schools do not make us who we are and might even give us a false impression of who we could or should become.
When Holden looks for Pheobe at the park, a little girl tells him she might be at the museaum and Holden says, "I knew that whole museaum routine like a book"(Salinger 119). Holden is so ambivalent to the adult world because he's still caught up in his childhood. Whenever something or someone about his past is brought up, he talks for a while about it, not missing a single detail.
ReplyDeleteHolden is thinking about Hamlet while he is at the theater. "What I'll have to do is, I'll have to read that play. The trouble with me is, I always have to read that stuff by myself. If an actor acts it out, I hardly listen. I keep worrying about whether he's going to do something phony every minute" (Salinger 117). Instead of seeing what a person is rally like, Holden just automatically assumes that they are going to do something phony. He can't have meaningful relationships because he always tries to see the worst in situations and people.
ReplyDeleteHolden is thinking about Hamlet in the theater. "I keep worrying about whether he's going to do something phony every minute" (Salinger 117). He never just enjoys anything or anyone. He just always says they're phony. He's the only one doing harm to himself because he can't make friends since he thinks everyone is a phony.
ReplyDeleteWhen holden said "The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move. You could go there a hundred thousand times, and that Eskimo would still be just finished catching those two fish, the birds would still be on their way south, the deers would still be drinking out of that water hole." It implies that he fears to change himself. He just wants everything stay where it is. He just wants himself to be the same as he is.
ReplyDeleteHolden shows his fear/ resistance to change when "I got to the museum, all of the sudden I wouldn't go in for a million bucks. It just didn't appeal to me- and here I'd walked through the whole damn park and looked forward to it and all," (Salinger 122). Holden is resisting change because he doesn't want to see his sister, "see the same stuff [he] used to see, and how she'd be different every time she saw it," (Salinger 122). Holden doesn't wan't something from his past (the museum) to be changed by his sister.
ReplyDeleteHolden is thinks the adult world is so easy, he thinks he can just go out with a couple dollars and find a house and raise a family and get married so easily. " The when the dough runs out, I could get a job somewhere with a brook and all and,later on, we could get married or something" (132). Holden thinks of the adult world an an easy project that doesn't require work and money. This is why Holden seems so ambivalent about the whole adult world
ReplyDeleteWhen Holden is recalling memories about the museum trips he took when he was in school, he says, "The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move" (121). This shows how Holden fears and resists change, because he likes things to stay how they are, and doesn't like things to change.
ReplyDeleteHolden compares the nuns to his friends mom and sees how she's very proud, (114) "the only way she could go around would be with everybody kissed her ass" Holden is ambivalent to the adult world and recognizes how proud Sally's mom is.
ReplyDeleteHolden is thinking about how phoebe goes to the museum just like he did and feels that " Certain things they should stay the way they are"(Salinger 122). This shows that Holden fears change because he just wants some things to stay the same and not change.
ReplyDeleteAfter buying a copy of "Little Shirley Beans," Holden feels happy and wants to call Jane. "The only trouble was, her mother answered the phone, so I had to hang up. I should've at least asked her if Jane was home yet, though. It wouldn't killed me. But I didn't feel like it. You really have to be in the mood for that stuff" (Salinger 116). Just like before, Holden wants to call Jane but always ends up not doing so. He resists the change to finally stand up and call, because he makes an excuse for himself that he isn't in the right mood. Holden is expecting things to change for him, rather than changing things himself. This also affects his ability to develop a meaningful relationship with Jane.
ReplyDeleteWhen Holden is talking about plays, he says that he likes to read the play before seeing it, if not he'll "keep worrying about whether [the actors are] going to do something phony every minute" (Salinger 117). This shows how much Holden fears change, he fears it so much he worries about plays being performed incorrectly. He wants everything to be the way it was made to be, and if something is wrong, it frustrates him. This also may make it difficult for him to develop relationships. People can be perfectionists, but he's an over-perfectionist. This can turn people away and make them not want to talk to him because they may something that wasn't what he wanted them to say.
ReplyDeleteWhen Holden talks about the museum he explains that the, "best thing, though, in the museum was that everything always stayed right where it was" (Salinger 121). This shows that Holden fears change because he likes the fact of stability and sometimes, like in museums everything stays exactly like it is, for ever. He resists change and likes things to be the way they are.
ReplyDeleteWhen Holden asks the little girl if she knows where Phoebe is, he was suprised to find that she actually knew Phoebe, and they say, "'She's prob'ly in the museum, then...' 'I know, but the one where the pictures are, or the one where the Indians are?' 'The one where the Indians.' 'Thanks a lot.'" (Salinger 118-119). Holden clearly has no problem going up to a random child, and the fact that this girl knew Phoebe made it even easier. He had a very easy time talking to this girl, and he felt very comfortable. It is as if he knew she would know what he meant when he said, the one with the pictures or the Indians. This shows that Hokden seems to have an easier time communitcating with children than adults.
ReplyDeleteWhen Holden is describing the museum and how it has many artifacts and mannequins in glass cases, he says, "certain things they 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" (Salinger 122). This desire to keep things the way they are not only shows Holden's intense feeling of need for control, but his resistance to change. He seems to think if he could keep everything still and constant, then he would not have to deal with the difficult world around him and how it is constantly changing.
ReplyDeleteWhen Holden asks the little girl at the park if she knows where Phoebe is, he is suprised to find that she actually knows Phoebe and she says, "She's prob'ly in the museum..." Holden continues, "I know, but the one where the pictures are, or the one where the Indians are?" The girl says, "The one where the Indians." Holden says, "Thanks a lot." (Salinger 118-119). Holden clearly has no problem going up to a random child, and the fact that this girl knows his sister makes it even easier for the two to communicate. He feels comfortable in this situation and he knows she will understand him when he asks which museum it is. This shows Holden's inability to develop relationships with adults, because in essence he is still a child and he has a hard time effectively communicating with adults.
ReplyDeleteWhen Holden is talking to Sally about his genius idea to run away together he says, "...and later on, we could get married or something" (Salinger 132). This brings up another reason why Holden struggles to maintain relationships because he's a hypocrite. He has said before he doesn't like Sally but then he brings up these irrational ideas when he doesn't even mean them.
ReplyDeleteWhen Holden talks about the museum he explains that the, "best thing, though, in the museum was that everything always stayed right where it was" (Salinger 121). This shows that Holden is being resistant to change. He likes things to stay the same way. He fears change and new things a lot and is both willing to open up about it.
ReplyDeleteThe reason Holden struggle to develop meaningful relationships with his family and peers because he never takes things seriously one moment he saying one thing the second he says something else for example when Holden asked Sally to travel him and get married and she says no he gets all mad at stuff then sating saying thing like " oh I wouldn't have taken her even if she wanted to go"
ReplyDeleteThroughout this book Holden is trying to run away from his future and avoid the imminence of adulthood. "how would you like ot get the hell out of here" Holden asks Sally to run away from their lives together and go live in a cabin in the woods. Holden wants to avoid all his problems and all his responsibilies and the best way he thinks he can do so is to run away from it all.
ReplyDeleteWhen Holden is thinking back on his museum trips, he claims that the "best thing, though, in the museum was that everything always stayed right where it was" (Salinger 121). This shows how Holden fears/resists change because he likes thing to stay how they are. He clearly fears and is not open to new things and things that change.
ReplyDeleteWhen Holden starts to think about plays and actors, he reflects, "In the first place, I hate actors. They never act like people. They just think they do. Some of the good ones do, in a slight way, but not in a way that's fun to watch. And if any actor's really good. you can tell he knows he's good, and that spoils it" (Salinger 117). From this reflection, Holden makes evident that he dislikes actors because they are making deliberate attempt to be realistic. He also mentions how even when people act well, it annoys him because they are acting. Henceforth causing Holden to not retain strong relationships with anyone because he blocks himself from empathizing with others by being pessimistic.
ReplyDeleteHolden fears and resists change very much so. For example, when he's talking about his experience in the Natural History Museum, he ends the anecdote by wondering if when Pheobe experiences it will she have changed by then? And he says he hopes not, because "certain things they should stay the way they are" (page 122).
ReplyDeleteWhen Holden is talking about the museum, he demonstrates how he dislikes change because he says, "certain things they 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" (Salinger 122). This demonstrates his avoidance of change because he is hinting that he doesn't want to change.
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