The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
Bloom's Question and Answers
Chapter 1-15
Pose one question (by 11:59pm, Wednesday, 5/17) and answer two of your peers' questions (by 11:59pm, Monday, 5/22) with textual evidence to support your ideas.
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CIR Ch 16-26
The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger Bloom's Question and Answers Chapter 16-26 Pose one question (by 11:59pm, Tuesday, 5/30) and...
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The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger Bloom's Question and Answers Chapter 1-15 Pose one question (by 11:59pm, Wednesday, 5/17) ... -
The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger Bloom's Question and Answers Chapter 16-26 Pose one question (by 11:59pm, Tuesday, 5/30) and...
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Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger Blog Directions: You will use the Bloom's Higher Order Thinking Prompts to pose questions to your ...
What evidence can you find to prove that Holden is suffering from depression?
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Mayo Clinic, signs of teenage depression include: frustration or feelings of anger, conflict with family and friends, and feelings of sadness without an apparent cause. Holden exhibits all of these signs within the first eight chapters of J.D. Salinger's book, The Catcher in the Rye. In the fifth chapter, Holden reveals his frustration and feelings of anger after his brother passes, "I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the windows in the garage" (Salinger 21). In the sixth chapter, Holden gets into a verbal and physical altercation with his roommate, Stradlater, "He kept holding onto my wrists and I kept calling him a sonuvabitch and all, for around ten hours" (24). In the seventh chapter, Holden finds himself crying for no reason, "I was sort of crying. I don't know why" (29). Holden presents with many signs indicating that he suffers from depression.
DeleteOverall from the catcher in the rye, Holden has been expressing his depression through out his storied.He showed how lonely he felt and wanted to give someone a call but could not think of anyone. After he got off from Penn station,he felt lonely and wanted to talk to somebody, " I felt like giving somebody a buzz . . . I couldn't think of anybody to call up. My brother D.B. was in Hollywood. My kid sister Phoebe goes to bed around nine o'clock--so I couldn't call her up. She wouldn't have cared if I'd woke her up, but the trouble was, she wouldn't've been the one that answered the phone. My parents would be the ones. So that was out. Then I thought of giving Jane Gallagher's mother a buzz,and find out when Jane's vacation started, but I didn't feel like it" (Salinger 59).
DeleteHolden also reveals his feeling of depression of dissapointing his parents that his parents put much effort on him but he did not do well in his school and got kicked out from Pency. A quote from chapter 7 stated that "One thing about packing depressed me a little. I had to pack these brand-new ice skates my mother had practically just sent me a couple of days before. That depressed me. I could see my mother going in Spaulding's and asking the salesman a million dopy questions--and here I was getting the ax again. It made me feel pretty sad" (Salinger 52).
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America identifies depression from the symptoms such as: feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts, and other things as well.
DeleteHolden might feel worthless after failing out of schools, not feeling good enough, and failing Mr. Spencer's class, a teacher he respected. Another sign of depression in Holden is the obvious fact that he comes out and says things depress him (52). Violence can be a sign of depression as well. Holden says "I felt like jumping off the washbowl and getting old Stradlater in a half nelson" (30). Which he refers a to half nelson as "where you get the other guy around the neck and choke him to death, if you feel like it" (30).
How can you asses the value and importance of Holden's red hunting hat?
ReplyDeleteI think this hat is very important to Holden because it gives him some kind of safety. Also on page 22 he says, ""I shoot people in this hat"". I guess by that he means that people do not notice him or he fills like he is hunting and the hat is part of his camouflage. Camouflage to not to be noticed by others. Also, Holden mentioned couple times that he likes his hat.
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DeleteI feel like Holden uses his red hunting hat as a safety ground. When he gets nervous, he messes with the hat so that he doesn't have to face whatever problem is making him nervous head-on, he can have something distracting him to ease the awkwardness. To give an example of this, in Catcher in the Rye it states, "I pulled the peak of my hunting hat around to the front all of a sudden, for a change. I was getting sort of nervous, all of a sudden. I'm quite a nervous guy." (Salinger 44). During this scene, Holden uses messing with his hat as an excuse to avoid the awkwardness and nervousness he was feeling about learning that Stradlater and Jane were going out on a date.
DeleteWe see in the text that Holden sees this hunting hat as a escape from the world. The hat is a symbol for him that helps his deal with his daily stress by messing with his hat. An examples of this is "I pulled the peak of my hunting hat around to the front all of a sudden."(Salinger 44). He dose actions such as this quite often in the book and I believe that this is because he is scared but dose not want to admit it. That is why this red hunting hat is so important to the story and Holden's person.
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ReplyDeleteWhat is the relationship with Holden's brother dying and his reluctance to show compassion and love towards others.
ReplyDeleteHolden's brother dying obviously has a significant impact on him and his family. His reluctance to show compassion is a psychological issue that was directly affected by his deep admiration and care towards his brother, Allie. This psychological problem that Holden holds could have also been affected by the attention , or lack of attention, he got from his parents growing up with a sick child. Holden says, “He was two years younger than I was, but he was about fifty times as intelligent. He was terrifically intelligent. His teachers were always writing letters to my mother, telling her what a pleasure it was having a boy like Allie in their class… But it wasn’t that he was the most intelligent member in the family. He was also the nicest, in lots of ways” (38). Maybe Holden felt neglected and that created a negative impact on him so he is not willing to show those intimate feelings. He could also be fearful of losing someone that he begins to grow close with.
DeleteHolden and his brother obviously were very close with each other and had a very strong relationship. Holden tell the reader, "He was terrifically intelligent . . . His teachers were always writing letters to my mother . . . He was also the nicest, in lots of ways” (Salinger 38). By Holden telling us this it shows that he has always admired his brother Allie and cared for him. After his brother Allie died, Holden was so devastated that he never wanted to go through that again. I feel that the death of Allie made Holden stop caring about everything, because he doesn't want to feel that pain again and have to lose a person he has gotten close with or has feelings for. His death has definitely caused Holden to restrain from showing love and compassion towards others because of his fear of losing someone again.
DeleteHolden and his brother Allie had a very close relationship based on the way Holden talks about him and talks him up. Holden's sort of prize possession is the old baseball glove that was Allie's. He tells the reader that," He was terrifically intelligent. His teachers were always writing letters to my mother, telling her what a pleasure it was having a boy like Allie in their class. And they weren't just shooting the crap" (Salinger 38). I feel that the reason he can not show compassion and love towards others is because Holden is afraid that if he gets attached or loves them too much that he will lose them and feel all of the pain he felt once Allie died. When Allie died Holden was broken and devastated, he never wanted to experience the pain of losing someone again. Holden has backed away from everyone so that way he does not get too close to them such as his parents. Phoebe is the only other person he is really close to and cares about. The death of his brother Allie has defiantly made it hard and almost impossible for Holden to show love and compassion towards others because he is scared of losing someone he loves and the pain that it comes with.
DeleteIt is clear that Holden has difficulty making meaningful connections with anyone or showing affection. This is most likely related to his brother's death, as this tragedy had impacted his life greatly. His brother, Allie, was an important person in Holden's life and he thought very highly of him. "But it wasn't just that he was the most intelligent member in the family. He never got mad at anybody. People with red hair are supposed to get mad very easily, but Allie never did, and he had very red hair"(Salinger 38). Holden had a very strong relationship with his brother, so his death was not only devastating but also life altering. The pain Holden endured through this tragedy has led him to a depression, isolation, loneliness, and a fear to have a connection with another person. It seems that Holden's difficulty making connections is rooted to his fear of death and the thought that everyone/everything will die eventually.
DeleteHow could you modify the plot in order to eliminate Holden's depressed state?
ReplyDeleteIn order to eliminate Holden's depressed state, the author could modify the plot by not having Holden's brother die. This event has obviously caused Holden to become depressed. In the book, Holden says, "He's dead now. He got leukemia and died when we were up in Maine, on July 18, 1946" (Salinger 38). Holden has never really had anything positive in his life but this event sent him over the edge. As Holden recounts the night Allie died, he states, "I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it" (Salinger 39). This shows that Holden was very much angry at the world due to his brothers death. Also, Holden states, "I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all, because I broke all the windows in the garage" (Salinger 38-39). He has always aspired to be like his siblings, especially Allie because he was very smart. It depresses Holden that he can't be as smart as Allie. If Salinger would not have added that Holden's brother died, his depression would have been either less severe or eliminated completely.
DeleteWhat would you predict as the outcome of Holden leaving Pency? How would you have done things differently if you were in Holden's position?
ReplyDeleteHow would the outcome have been different if Holden had gone to see Jane Gallagher before Stradlater took her out?
ReplyDeleteThe way I see it, there is a reason that we are not sure of yet as to why Holden did not go to visit Jane Gallagher in the annex before Stradlater took her out. Although, there has not been any evidence that there was anything bad that happened between the two of them yet, only good things. ""...Hey. I almost forgot. She knows you." "Who does?" I said. "My date." "Yeah?" I said. "What's her name?" I was pretty interested. "I'm thinking...Uh. Jean Gallagher." Boy, I nearly dropped head when he said that" (Salinger 31). Later on in that conversation with Stradlater he said, ""How's she happen to mention me?" I was pretty excited. I really was" (31). This shows that Holden was very happy that Jane was nearby but although he mentioned it many times, he never went to see her. I think that Jane might not have gone out on the date with Stradlater if she knew that Holden was there and they may have talked and hung out instead.
DeleteWhen Holden choose to write the composition for Stradlater, what does it say about Holden?
ReplyDeleteThis event speaks towards Holden's character, not only in the book but as a person. While Holden resists at first he finally agrees to write the composition for Stradlater. This says to me that Holden knows its not the right thing to do however he cannot resist the pestering from Stradlater anymore. Stradlater's final request before leaving for his date is '"Do that composition for me," he said. He had his coat on, and he was all ready to go. "Don't knock yourself out or anything, but just make it descriptive as hell. Okay?"'(Salinger 19) Holden puts a lot of time and effort into writing a good composition for his roommate. I think that this show that he truly does care and is not just full of hatred as he leads us to believe.
DeleteWhat would you predict as the outcome of Jane and Holden's relationship? Do you think that Jane will have a positive or negative impact on Holden's life and why?
ReplyDeleteI believe that Jane will have a very positive impact on Holden's life in the future because Holden's whole attitude changed when Stradlater said her name. "Boy, I nearly dropped dead when he said that. "Jane Gallagher," I said. I even got up from the washbowl when he said that. I damn near dropped dead" (Stradlater 31). Even just the sound of Jane's name lights up his face. I predict that when Holden finally gets up the nerve to go see Jane, they will reconnect and fall in love with each other. Their rough pasts are what bring them closer together.
DeleteBased on how much Holden talks about Jane, I have come to the conclusion that he had some kind of intimate relationship with Jane. What leads me to believe this is when Holden says things like, "All of a sudden, on my way out to the lobby, I got old Jane Gallagher on the brain again. I got her on, and I couldn't get her off. I sat down in the lobby and thought about her and Stradlater sitting in that goddam Ed Banky's car, and thought I was pretty damn sure old Stradlater hadn't given her the time- In know old Jane like a book- I still couldn't get her off my brain" (Salinger 76). This shows that Holden must have had some kind of intimate connection with Jane to think of her that much and think of her so much. I predict that Jane will have a positive impact on Holden's life when they eventually meet up again in the story. I think that they will connect at a higher level than normal people because of how much they shared together when they were spending time together.
DeleteI think that Holden and Jane's relationship could be a very bad situation. Either they could get together and be happy and everything would be great or they could get together and break up. In the event that this happens Holden could go down into an even deeper hole of depression than he already is. We already saw that his brother Allie died many years ago and Holden still shows depression and signs that this event effects him a great deal today.
DeleteWhy do you think Holden is sharing this story about "this madman stuff" that happened to him around last Christmas? (1) What do you think the significance is and who do you think he is telling this story to?
ReplyDeleteI think Holden is sharing his story because someone asked him about it specifically, and I believe that whoever asked to hear his story is the one he is telling it to. Holden refers to this person when he says, "If you really want to hear about it" (Salinger 1). I think the significance of Holden telling his story about "this madman stuff" to someone we actually do not know for sure who it is, is to create a sense of wonder while we are reading it so later we will hopefully find out.
DeleteI believe Holden is telling his story because he has to. I think Holden is staying at a Mental facility in California and must tell his story to the psychologists before he can be released.In the book it states "He's in Hollywood. That inst to far from this crummy place." (Salinger 1). The importance of the story and who he is telling it to fall hand in hand because if he dose not get cleared by the psychologist he has to stay there. So I believe that Holden is is explain to the psychologist why he is there and what happen to him so he can leave.
DeleteI feel as though Holden is telling this story to get help for his depression other mental issues he may have. On the first page of the first chapter Holden is talking to someone and states, "I'll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy" (Salinger 1). This quote shows us that he is not home or near his home because he talks about D.B. being close to him and visiting him, so he must be someone near California if not in. I feel that the "madman stuff" that happened to him must have had some impact to why he is depressed. I feel that Holden is at a mental facility and he is telling his story to his counselor to help him recover so he can get out and be with his family and move along with his life. I believe we will find out who he is talking to and why at the end of the book.
DeleteHow is the loss of Allie related to Holden and Jane's relationship? Is Holden closer to her because of his little brother's death?
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 11 on page 77 Holden says, "She was the only one, outside of the family, that I ever showed Allie’s baseball mitt to, with all the poems written on it. She’d never met Allie or anything, because that was her first summer in Maine - before that, she went to Cape Cod - but I told her quite a lot about him. She was interested in that kind of stuff". This part shows that Jane was the one who Holden trusted a lot. Also, in the same chapter he tells that they hold hands a lot and spend almost whole summer together. I think Jane was the one who helped Holden little bit to get through the Allie's death. Holden started to think about Jane more and it kind of reduced the sad thoughts of his loss.
DeleteAllie's death is related to Holden and Jane's relationship because she is the only person Holden has opened up to about his brother's death and the way he feels. "She was the only one, outside of the family, that I ever showed Allie's baseball mitt to, with all the poems written on it...but I told her quite a lot about him. She was interested in that kind of stuff" (Salinger 77). Holden thinks very highly of Jane and has even felt comfortable enough to open up to her, which is something he does not do often. His connection with Jane is stronger because he is honest with her about his thoughts and feelings relating to his brother and his death.
DeleteThe loss of Allie is a very big part of Jane and Holden's relationship. In a way the death of Allie brings Jane and Holden closer. In the same was Holden being with Jane could give Holden a sense of being closer with Allie.
Delete"She was the only one, outside my family, that I ever showed Allie's baseball mitt to, with all the poems written on it. She'd never met Allie or anything, because that was her first summer in Maine--before that, she went to Cape Cod--but I told her quite a lot about him. She was interested in that kind of stuff." (Salinger 42) This shows us that the summer that Allie died was the first summer that Jane was in Maine. Jane and Holden met in Maine and because Allie died in Maine Jane could be a reminder of Allie. I think that the reason that Holden doesn't want to give up on Jane is because he feels like and part of Allie's memory lives in Jane and he doesn't want to give that up. Holden is definitely closer to Jane because of Allie's death.
What is the significance of Jane and Holden's relationship?
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 11 Holden discusses his relationship with Jane and how they met. Holden tells the reader, “She was the only one, outside my family, that I ever showed Allie's baseball mitt to, with all the poems written on it. She'd never met Allie or anything, because that was her first summer in Maine--before that, she went to Cape Cod- -but I told her quite a lot about him. She was interested in that kind of stuff” (Salinger 42). By Holden saying “she was the only one outside of my family, that I ever showed Allie’s baseball mitt to”, It shows that Holden is very good friends with Jane and most likely trusts her more than anyone else. This shows that Jane is one of the only people that Holden has truly gotten close to in his life and shared his true feelings with. She is very important to him because she is the only one he has ever talked about his brother to and shown his baseball glove to. This quote shows the reader that he is very close with Jane and he likes talking about his brother to her, because she is actually “interested in that kinda stuff”, he says. Jane is very significant person in Holden's life because she is most likely the one who helped Holden with the mourning of his brother, Allie, making their relationship very significant.
DeleteDo you feel that a lack of parental involvement in Holden's life contributed to his troubles at school? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteI feel that Holden's troubles at school are a direct result of his lack of parental involvement. My opinion can be attributed to Holden's thoughts about his parents. In the first sentence of The Catcher in the Rye Holden reveals thoughts about his parents, ". . . the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, an what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me. . ."(Salinger 1). Based on this quote, the reader is lead to believe that Holden feels worthless. The thoughts of worthlessness could result in a lack of interest in things such as school. Within the eighth chapter, Holden also shows his blatant disregard for mothers, "Mothers are slightly insane" (30). Holden has clearly expressed his feelings for parents in general. Those opinions could stem from his feelings toward his parents and result in struggles at school.
DeleteI do agree that the parental involvement in Holden's life is perhaps insufficient; however, I think the main reason behind that is with Holden rejecting that parental involvement. I think that this is something that Holden should get the blame for rather than his parents. Therefore, I don't think that Holden’s poor performance in school is related to the lack of parental involvement in his life. Holden may not talk about his parents often but that doesn’t instantly deem them as terrible parents. Perhaps, Holden is just unwilling to talk about them. When Mr. Spencer talks to Holden about his expulsion from Pencey, he proclaims, “If I’m not mistaken, I believe you also had some difficulty at Whooton School and at Elkton Hills” (Salinger 13). Holden’s parents have had to go through the process of enrolling him at another school once he fails out of the one he was previously attending. Readers are able to infer that his parents most likely feel some sort of desire for him to do well if they keep enrolling him back into school after he gets expelled out of one. They could have just given up on him and let him drop out of school. His parents also care enough to get irritated as Holden claims: “ ‘Well . . . they’ll be pretty irritated about it’ I said. ‘They really will. This is the fourth school I’ve gone to’ ” (Salinger 9). Holden’s parents are apparent in his life; however, it is Holden that would prefer to not interact with his parents. His parents want him to do well in school but performance depends more on Holden’s attitude rather than parental involvement.
DeleteI think that Holden's parents were definitely lacking in involvement. From what Holden has said about his parents it seems that they have never really been a part of his life. They have always been there with him, but not supporting him. His parents were probably preoccupied with Allie and his medical condition. He also comes from a wealthy family and those are the kids that I feel are neglected and become more depressed because there parents aren't as involved in their lives as a middle class family. "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me..."(1).The first sentence of the book already tells you what Holden thinks about his parents and there part in his life as he was growing up. I think his parents are one of the big contributors to his depression. His parents just sent him away to go to school so they would never see him. I think that Holden would purposefully flunk out of school to try to get his parents attention.
DeleteWhat is the relationship between the ducks in the Central Park lagoon and the story Holden is telling?
ReplyDeleteI believe that the ducks in Central Park are metaphoric of Holden's struggles. In a way, the ducks having to move away from the pond every winter represents Holden having to move out of every school he has ever been to. While the ducks have a specified place that they spend that winter, this location eludes Holden. Holden is looking for his place in life that is equivalent to the place where the ducks go. Holden is so desperate to know where the ducks go he asks at every opportunity he gets. Holden asks one of his cabbies '"You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? That little lake? By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over? Do you happen to know, by any chance?"'(Salinger 33) I think that Holden is asking the wrong question to the wrong person in this case. I think he should be asking himself where he belongs.
DeleteWhat is the significance of the novel's title?
ReplyDeleteHow have the events in Holden's life shaped his negative outlook on the world?
ReplyDeleteThe two most important events in Holden's life that have shaped his outlook on the world is his parents neglect and the death of his brother Allie. The reader can tell that Holden not receiving attention from his parents has negatively effected him. In the first sentence of the book, Holden says, "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me . . ." (Salinger 1). In this quote, you can see that Holden is upset about not having all of his parents attention. You can see that Allie's death has had a negative impact on his life when Holden says, "I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it" (Salinger 39). Obviously Holden is angry that Allie died. These two events have sent Holden into severe depression that he hasn't been able to get out of.
DeleteWould you classify Holden's interactions with women positive or negative? Explain.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Holden's interactions with women are both positive and negative. I believe that it is positive in the way that he respects and talks highly about women, unlike Stradlater who treats them as objects. Holden is very shy and that is where he can have a negative interaction with women. When Stradlater first told Holden about him going on a date with Jane, Holden was so excited just to hear her name. He kept talking about how he was going to go see her, but he never did. "I couldn't get her off my mind. I really couldn't. I oughta go down and say hello to her, at least (Salinger32). Holden mentioned going to see Jane many times. Stradlater became annoyed and questioned Holden on why he didn't go meet her. "Why the hell don'tcha, instead of keep saying it?" (Salinger 33). Holden never went to see Jane, which makes me question if he is nervous to see her or just shy around girls in general. Overall, I feel as though Holden's relationship with women is positive because he is respectful and knows how to treat them.
DeleteI believe that depending on who the women are is how his interaction is. I think that Holden respects women, but the things he thinks about some women are quite rude. "I started giving the three witches at the next table the eye again"(70). Holden is referring to the women in the Lavender Room. On the other hand when Holden talks about Jane he only has positive things to say about her along with his sister, Phoebe. "You never saw a little kid so pretty and smart in your whole life"(67). He is referring to Phoebe in this chapter. So I believe that Holden's interactions with women depend on who the women are.
DeleteWhat is your opinion on how Holden behavioral issues since his brothers passing?
ReplyDeleteHolden's behavioral issues first began the night he lost his brother. "I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it" (39). Although he never says it, Holden gives the impression that from this night on is when he stopped caring about school and began going into depression. When Stradlater does not show an interest in the writing about Allie's mitt, Holden begins getting violent in tearing up the paper and later on taking out his anger by picking a fight with Stradlater. He uses smoking, drinking, and acting out as a type of method to distract himself from the pain he has. Holden has a lot of built up anger beginning with losing his brother and continuing to build as he does not deal with his past in a healthy way.
DeleteHolden loved his brother very much. Allie was really important for him. He says that he was the most intelligent in the whole family. He also says that he was the nicest and sweetest kid ever. Holden shows out his feeling of anger and depression of his brother's death that "I slept in the garage the night he died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it. I even tried to break all the windows on the station wagon we had that summer, but my hand was already broken and everything by that time, and I couldn't do it"(Salinger 39). The death of his brother, affected Holden greatly. My opinion on Holden's behavior is Holden is stuck in the past, he keeps thinking about his dead brother and it makes him depressed.
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DeleteI agree that Allie’s death has resulted in Holden’s behavioral issues. I think there is an indirect relationship behind all this: Allie’s death lead to Holden’s depression, then Holden’s depression lead to his behavioral issues. Most readers can infer that Allie’s death mostly likely lead to his depression and behavioral problems. Even though we don’t know a lot about the kind of person he was before Allie’s death, we know that he is more depressed than he had been before which makes a stance towards the argument that Allie’s death has lead him to behave the way he does. It’s almost as Holden wants to hurt himself nowadays. During that scenario with Maurice and Sunny, it almost seemed like Holden was looking for trouble. After Maurice told him that it would cost five dollars for a “throw,” he then claims, “It’s ten bucks, chief. I tole ya that” (Salinger 101). We know that Holden is filthy rich and could have just paid it off, but he chose to argue with Maurice about it. Then, Holden goes on continuing to act stubborn and Maurice says, “ Chief, you’re gonna force me inna roughin’ ya up a little bit” (Salinger 102). Holden then continues to argue that Maurice said five dollars, and Maurice throws him a punch in stomach. Holden has obviously developed some behavioral issues over time considering that he is now looking for trouble instead of trying to avoid it like any normal human being. Allie’s death which made him the closed off person that he is today has caused him to look to violence where he constantly puts himself in dangerous situations.
Do you think that Holden's red baseball cap makes him feel a connection to his younger brother Allie who passed and that is why it is so important to him? If so, how?
ReplyDeleteI believe that Holden originally bought his red hunting hat for the fact of making him feel better for leaving the foils on the subway, Holden mentions, "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 lost the goddam foils" (Salinger 17). I believe that his hat has is important to him in many ways and one reason is his connection with his brother Allie in chapter 5 Holden says, "I'll tell you what kind of red hair he had" (Salinger 38). The color of his hat is also red which connects him to his brother. Allie is one of the only people in Holden's life that he respects and loves, so I believe that one of the reasons for Holden to wear this red hunting hat is to feel a connection with his younger brother who has passed away.
DeleteHolden uses his hat to be different from everyone else. He makes this clear by saying that: "I pulled the peak of my hunting hat around to the front all of a sudden, for a change" (34). Holden is trying to find his individuality using the hat that nobody else has seen before. He describes how Allie was different by saying that: "My brother Allie had this left-handed fielder's mitt. He was left-handed. The thing that was descriptive about it, though, was that he had poems written all over the fingers and the pocket and everywhere. In green ink" (38). This shows that Allie was his own person, because he was left-handed which was very unusual at the time and he wrote poems on his glove in a bizarre color. Allie was his own individual, so the hat helps Holden become his own person to connect to his little brother.
DeleteHolden hates phonies, possibly because he is one himself, but that doesn't matter. He hates people who are fake and conform to society. His hunting hat is both a symbolic form of protection towards his innocence, but it's also him being an individual. He thinks the hat is stupid: "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"(Salinger 3). So while he thinks the hat is stupid, he doesn't care. The hat is what separates him from all the phonies, it proves he is an individual with quirks and characteristics. He is his own person when he wears the red hunting cap.
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ReplyDeleteHolden's impressions of the other characters tend to influence readers to think less of those characters, causing us readers to belittle them in our thoughts. Choose a character to evaluate and imagine that you're reading the same book; only this time, Holden's perceptions of that particular character aren't present within the text. What alternative judgement would you propose regarding your chosen character?
ReplyDeleteIf Jane and Holden had become close and Holden was able to open up to her more about Allie, Do you think that his depression would be as bad as it is right now?
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