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[jennyiepoppin-blog]

The Catcher in the Rye, Chapters 12 - END

Entry #4

“(...) I was sort of afraid she’d fall off the goddam horse, but i didn’t say anything or do anything. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them” (Chapter 25, page 211)

     This quote is by Holden as he watches Phoebe ride the carousel near the end of chapter 25. Before this event, Holden actually plans to leave home and live on his own, escaping the town and its “phony” people. Before he goes, he passes a note to Phoebe through her school’s staff asking to meet at the Native Peoples’ Museum that plays a significant part in Holden’s life. Phoebe is a little late and Holden gets worried, but Phoebe appears quickly. To Holden’s surprise, she shows up with a suitcase and tells him that she wants to come along and live with him. Holden abruptly refuses, to which Phoebe cries in response and gets upset. To make it up to her, Holden takes her to the zoo. She soon forgets about her momentary resentment towards Holden as he pays for her rides on the carousel. As Phoebe reaches for the gold rings placed on the carousel, Holden is afraid of her falling and getting hurt, but realizes that it is indeed and natural part of life to allow kids to learn on their own.

Intertextual (within)

     The quote reminds me of the novel’s cover. Before this particular scene, I never understood why the cover of the book was a horse being impaled with a pole with a city behind it. I never understood why the black outline of the horse was not consistent. Now, I get the feeling that it was very much intentional and that it was only meant for the audience to understand towards the end of the book, after readers have identified the theme and motifs. Since the quote I chose was from a carousel scene, it relates to the cover in terms of the horses on the carousel. The cover is of a red carousel horse and a yellow city in the background. I infer that maybe the redness of the cover and the horse itself signifies a child and their innocence. The reason being, a major theme in the book is the theme of loss of innocence, as seen through Holden’s obsession of innocence. The yellow-ness and the city, on the other hand, represents adulthood. One observation I’ve made is the fact that the outline of the horse in the red is defined, but once it hits the yellow half, there is no profound outline. It’s almost as if the red would fade into the yellow easier. Another point I’d like to make is the fact that one half of the pole is red, but the other half is yellow. I believe that these observations may point to the transition of childhood into adulthood. The quote mentions that although Holden is scared of Phoebe falling, he can’t say anything because it’s bad if he does. What he tries to indicate through this quote is that falling into adulthood is a natural phenomenon that should not be disturbed, or prevented. Children falling may also connect to the title, “the Catcher in the Rye”. As Holden once said, he wanted to catch the children when they fall off the cliff through the rye. Now, I believe that Holden realizes that he cannot intervene and stop the natural process of growing up, and losing one’s innocence. Back to the cover and the horse, the yellowness seems to be bleeding into the horse as well. It can possibly mean that the loss of innocence and the transition is starting to take place, but very slowly.

Works Cited

Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Canada: Little, Brown and Company, 1951. Print.

Salinger, J.D. “The Catcher in the Rye - Salinger.” Pinterest: Pinterest. Digital image.

Entry #5

“After a while, you’ll have an idea what kind of thoughts your particular size mind should be wearing. For one thing, it may save you an extraordinary amount of time trying on ideas that don’t suit you, aren’t becoming to you.” (Chapter 24, page 190)

     This scene is from when Holden goes to Mr. Antolini’s household for shelter. Before going home to meet Phoebe, holden calls an old teacher of his, named Mr. Antolini. They talk about school and how their lives are at the moment. Mr. Antolini offers holden a place to stay at overnight if he ever needs it, to which holden keeps in mind. After visiting Phoebe while his parents are not home,  he decides to take up Mr. Antolini’s offer for shelter at his place as soon as he leaves the house. When he gets there, he is welcomed by Mr. Antolini and his wife with hot chocolate and a nice conversation. The conversation they start having is about how concerned Holden’s parents are about his future due to the continuous fails and drop outs he’s been through. Mr. Antolini talks him through about how school is important and how it helps you find yourself while you can still make those mistakes, as seen in the quote i have chosen.

Extratextual

      I can relate this quote to the world and my own personal thoughts on school and how it affects students worldwide. Like Mr. Antolini, I also believe that school is a way of finding what one’s likes and what one’s dislikes. What one is capable of doing and what they’re not capable of doing. Many students these days actually believe that school is a waste of time and believe that they know what they will go into in life. The catch is, without school, one wouldn’t know their own mind and what they are capable of doing. School challenges students to do their best and to push the limits. This is extremely beneficial in the long run for students won’t be making as big mistakes if they knew what is truly fitting for them, and their mind. The last portion of the quote mentions that after a little bit, one will have an idea of their mind’s capabilities which will save time, preventing them from trying on ideas that are not truly “them”. I believe that this is extremely significant for the art of transitioning from childhood to adulthood is exactly that. It’s the process of learning more and more about oneself and applying that knowledge to do well in life. To adjust to the new knowledge of oneself to prevent suffering later on, when it becomes increasingly difficult to learn and explore. This quote contributes to the book’s recurring theme and holden’s obsession with innocence as it states the truth and importance of learning, exploring, and the loss of innocence. In the novel, holden plans to leave home to live on his own, without furthering his school career (chapter 25). I feel that many students are like Holden. They want to leave due to pressures from school, but such actions would prevent the learning process, actually speeding up the transition between childhood to adulthood. The reason being, the responsibilities from student to adult is quite a big jump. The education at the age of sixteen is not enough to overcome upcoming obstacles and responsibilities. Some may be able to handle such responsibilities, but others will not be able to. This would prove the second portion of the quote. Those who cannot handle the responsibility would be trying ideas that are not “becoming” of them. It would prevent them from finding the ideas that are “becoming” of them. All in all, I believe that this quote is extraordinarily significant to the book and its theme, but also to the real world.

Works Cited

Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Canada: Little, Brown and Company, 1951. Print.

Entry #6

“The thing is, it drives me crazy if somebody gets killed-especially somebody very smart and entertaining and all-and it’s somebody else’s fault.” (Chapter 15, page 111)

     This quote is from chapter 15, when Holden grabs breakfast and meets 2 nuns. He sees that they are the nuns that collect donations for charities as they carry baskets. Holden strikes a conversation with them after picking up the baskets that they had dropped. He makes observations on their looks, stating that one looked kind, but not exactly attractive. Holden donates ten dollars and they talk about themselves. It is revealed that both were teachers from Chicago, one teaching English, and the other teaching history and American government. Holden and the nun who teaches english get into a conversation about books that he likes to read or has read and thoughts on Shakespeare’s works, specifically Romeo and Juliet. Holden reveals that his favourite character from Romeo and Juliet is Tybalt, who just so happens to die from others’ actions, and expresses his disappointment through the quote I have chosen.

Intertextual (between)

     In grade 10, I read a novel called, “To Kill and Mockingbird”, which is based in the early-mid 1900s. It is mainly about segregation, racism, and human nature. The main event of the book is the trial of a black man named Tom Robinson. The context of the trial is that Tom Robinson was falsely accused of raping a predominant white woman named Mayella Ewell. The conviction starts from when Tom helps Mayella with chores around the house as an act of kindness. The Ewell family is known for their questionable behaviour and their alcoholic father figure, Bob Ewell. The controversy of the trial starts from the fact that Atticus Finch willingly defends Tom with all his might, providing highly convincing evidence that point to the innocence of Tom. All efforts go unnoticed as the claims of a white woman and her father who strongly insists on the crime of rape was committed, are deemed more believable than hard facts and evidence. The reason why this quote reminds me of the book is because Tom Robinson had died in vain. Through his kindness, he received a death sentence in return. Tom was very much innocent, yet due to Mayella Ewell’s false claims, he died as a consequence. The injustice does not go unnoticed for the readers of the book, such as I, who feels much regret for such a situation to have happened. The picture I have included is a shot from the movie of Atticus Finch and Tom Robinson trying for court.

Works Cited

Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Canada: Little, Brown and Company, 1951. Print.

Lee, Harper. “To Kill a Mockingbird Movie, Tom Robinson and Atticus Finch in Court.” The Midnight Garden; Wendy Darling, 26 June 2015. Digital image.

[jennyiepoppin-blog]

The Catcher in the Rye, Chapters 3-11

Entry #1

“(...) I was sort of crying. I don’t know why. I put my red hunting hat on, and turned the peak around to the back, the way I liked it, and then yelled at the top of my goddam voice, “Sleep tight, ya morons!” (...)” (Chapter 7, page 52).

After Stradlater, Holden’s roommate, comes back from his date with Jane Gallagher late at night, they get into a fight. Holden angers Stradlater, and provokes him by calling him a ‘moron’ repeatedly. The reason behind Holden’s anger is the fact that Stradlater may have ‘tainted’ Jane as he always does with the girls he goes out with. This event drives Holden into Ackley’s room for some company, which of course, Ackley is not much help. In the end, Holden decides that he has had enough of the school and packs up to leave. Before leaving, though, he encounters some frustrating news when he tries to sell his typewriter as the value of the typewriter had been a lot higher than what he got. Lastly, he reaches the end of the corridor, ready to leave, and looks back to scream one last statement.

Intratextual (within)

This quote reminds me of the time in chapter 3, when Holden and Ackley talk about the red hunting hat that Holden had gotten for a dollar in New York. Ackley comments how the hat is worn to shoot deer; How it is a deer shooting hat. In response, Holden tells him, “This is a people shooting hat (...) I shoot people in this hat.” (Page 22). The meaning that I have interpreted from it is that he shoots people down with criticism and judgement in his mind. Throughout the book, I find that this hat may represent Holden’s courage/confidence. That it gives him a front that prevents his inner thoughts and feelings from showing. I find that when Holden puts the hat on, he acts tough even when he is weak. Through the quote I have chosen, it states that he was “sort of” crying as he looks at his dorm one more time. He shows his inner feelings and thoughts, but quickly conceals it as soon as he puts his hat on. Deep down, he is evidently upset about previous events and we see that although it seems like he hates everybody at Pencey, he also craves their company and feels lonely when he is not in their company. This makes me believe that he is actually sad to leave, but does not want to admit that they have a part in his life. In order to conceal his feelings, he puts the hat on and conceals his feelings by bringing out his confident act, yelling at everyone and calling them morons. I believe part of this behaviour may have developed from him losing his brother. Because his brother, Allie, played such a big part in his life, his death impacted his view on his relationships with other people. From losing his brother at a young age, and going into a frenzy as seen in the quote, “I slept in the garage the night he died, and i broke all the goddam windows with my fist” (page 39), he may have developed a trauma of forming deep relationships with others to avoid hurt and heartbreak once again. These details would contribute to a possible theme of being stuck in the past, and not being able to let go, and in extreme cases, the loss of innocence through experiencing the harsh realities of the world.

Works Cited

Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Canada: Little, Brown and Company, 1951. Print.

Entry #2

“They don’t just stay a rat while they’re a kid. They stay a rat their whole life.” (Chapter 8, page 57)

This quote is thought by Holden while he sits on the train. At this point of the book, Holden has left Pencey and heads closer to home, but on the way, he meets a nice woman named Ms. Morrow. He finds that she is in fact Ernest Morrow’s mother. To pass time, they start a conversation about Pencey, to which he spouts lies about Ernie and his life at Pencey to please Ms. Morrow. He also lies about his name calling himself, Rudolf Schmidt. Although he tells Ms. Morrow about how great a student Ernest is at Pencey, in reality, Ernest is a boy who likes to whip people's’ bottoms with a towel with the intention of hurting them. This is when Holden reveals that he believes that Ernest is actually a rat and that people who are rats as kids, stay a rat their whole life.

Extratextual

This quote reminds me of the many times I have heard the quote, “Once a cheater, always a cheater”. The meaning of it is that once a person commits some sort of adultery, they will never be able to revert back to being faithful. The logic is that the person committing adultery cannot be faithful and honest to their partners, and will continue to do so as they had been able to in the first place. The logic of that quote is similar to Holden’s thinking in the quote I had chosen. Holden believes that as a child, your true nature is shown in the purest form. When one is not tainted and warped to believe what is ethical and what is not. He believes that if one is a rat in their purest form, they will always be a rat deep down. That no matter what happens, one will be a rat even if it is not shown. It may be that, or it may be the fact that the harsh truth of being an adult is that they are tainted and never pure again. That they will always be “phonies” or “morons”. It is evident that in Holden’s mind, he often describes older people in that way, and never really towards anybody younger than he is. This would be part of the theme describing, once again, the loss of innocence and/or the idea of being stuck in the past. Partially because he thinks that nobody really changes their mindset even when grown up.

Works Cited

Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Canada: Little, Brown and Company, 1951. Print.

Entry #3

“All of a sudden, I decided what I’d really do, I’d get the hell out of Pencey-right that same night and all (...) I just didn’t want to hang around anymore. It made me too sad and lonesome.” (Chapter 7, page 51).

Like the first quote, the events take place in Chapter 7, after Holden’s fight with Stradlater about Jane Gallagher. Holden is upset about how Stradlater talks about Jane. Holden gets upset due to the fact that although he sees all of Jane’s good points, and her cute personality, Stradlater only cares about “giving her the time”. Holden pushes Stradlater to the edge, to which Stradlater loses it and attacks Holden. The quote is taken from when Holden decides to leave Pencey after realizing that nobody is really there for him, making him feel lonely and depressed. He ultimately decides to leave as he sees no purpose to stay anymore.

Intertextual (between)

One type of media that this quote reminds me of is a movie/theatrical piece called “The Baker’s Wife (1938)”. In this piece, a baker named Aimable settles in a small town with his young wife, Aurelie. The catch is, Aurelie realizes that she can do better after she meets a shepherd in the same village after Aimable makes his first batch of breads. This causes Aimable to fall into a trance, unable to work any longer. The reason why this quote reminds me of “The Baker’s Wife” is because like Aimable, Holden falls into a trance of loneliness and depression after finding out that Stradlater cannot love Jane as much as he does, but Stradlater has her heart. Holden lets his feelings for Jane get the best of him and cannot carry on to staying at Pencey anymore. He feels the reality hit him and cannot bear to stay as staying at Pencey will only make him feel worse. I believe that this could also be significant in the story, contributing to the same theme, the harsh reality crashing one’s innocence and views of the world. This theme is shown through Holden’s experience of the pain of losing one’s first love. It allows him to realize that the world is indeed unfair and that even though one may love a person wholeheartedly, it does not mean that the other will love them back. The idea is shown through both “The Baker’s Wife”, and through Holden and Stradlater’s situation.

Works Cited

Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Canada: Little, Brown and Company, 1951. Print.

Yepok. “Plot”. IMDb: IMDb.com. Web.