This whole quote is basically saying that it's better to do things your own way, then to follow what someone else is doing. I think that this fits to Holden perfectly because that's what he's doing through out the whole book. Holden really refuses to conform to how everyone around him does things. He has such a different mind set than everyone else, and you can even connect this back to the first conversation that we had, he refuses to play the game so to speak. Most guys around him have the same game when it comes to getting with girls. They all kind of neck and flirt around a little, until a girl says no or stop or something, and usually the guys don't stop and persuade her into doing things, but with Holden he stops. He talks about it on pg. 92 when he says "The trouble with me is, I stop. Most guys don't. I can't help it. You never know whether they really want you to stop or whether they're just scared as hell or whether they're telling you to stop so that if you do go through with it the blame'll be on you, not them." I think that's why he wouldn't do anything with Sunny when she came to his room because it's like the quote says "Better in death in the fulfillment of one's own law," - it's better to do it your own way, then do it the wrong way, or to do it the way that someone else is doing.
So I've been listening to this band Gotye for the past few days, and I found this verse that I felt really connected to Catcher in the Rye. It's from their song Eyes Wide Open.
Some people offered up answers
We made out like we heard
They were only words
They didn't add up
To a change in the way we were living
And the saddest thing
Is all of it could have been avoided
I think that this relates to one of the very first chapters that we read where him and Mr. Spencer had a talk. This song is actually talking about suicide. But I feel that it relates to Holden situation because Mr. Spencer cares so much about Holden and he's trying to hard at the beginning to try and convince him that he's got to get his life together. I think that Holden knows that he has to get his life together, or that he should be trying to I just think it's like he doesn't really care enough to apply himself or care enough about himself to learn how to apply himself. And the last part relates to him too, because he could've avoided being kicked out all of the schools that he attended. I think that if he had, had the proper help and learned how to deal with all of the issues and traumatic experiences that he went through as a kid, then he could've avoided ending up this way.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
Chapters 8-11: Shooting the Crap
An example of a time in the book where Holden lets us in on when he's "shooting the crap" with someone is pretty much the whole chapter eight, when he's talking to Ernest's mother. He goes on to her and says, "Old, Ernie. He's one of the most popular boys at Pencey. Did you know that?," and then later on, in the third paragraph on pg. 56 he says, "Old Mrs. Morrow didn't say anything, but boy, you should've seen her. I had her glued to her seat. You take somebody's mother, all they want to hear about is what a hot-shot their son is." Another example of when he's "shooting the crap" with us, is on pg 78 when he says "It was the only time Jane and I ever got close to necking, even." But as you find out through the story, that Jane and Holden weren't engaging into any romantic situation, he was simply kissing to comfort her. He lead us on to believe that some romance, or some tension had gone on with him and Jane.
I believe that Holden "shoots the crap" with people to avoid the reality of his own situation. He wants to be more then he is. I think he has this longing inside of him, that he might not even realize to be something more. I believe he secretly wants to be somebody who is going somewhere with their life, and by shooting the crap with people he avoids telling the truth. He avoids his own personal problems, and makes up this intricate lies to be more then he is. To avoid things. You get the sense that he's not happy with who is because he gives you little snip-its of insight into his deeper feelings. For example on page 39 he says, "I mean- but outside of that I don't care much. I mean I'm not going to be a goddam surgeon or violinist or anything anyway." It's very subtle but at the end of this sentence he gives us a small insight into how he really feels about his future. He has no hope, no plans, and basically no future. He shoots the crap to avoid dealing with all of his problems.
I believe that Holden "shoots the crap" with people to avoid the reality of his own situation. He wants to be more then he is. I think he has this longing inside of him, that he might not even realize to be something more. I believe he secretly wants to be somebody who is going somewhere with their life, and by shooting the crap with people he avoids telling the truth. He avoids his own personal problems, and makes up this intricate lies to be more then he is. To avoid things. You get the sense that he's not happy with who is because he gives you little snip-its of insight into his deeper feelings. For example on page 39 he says, "I mean- but outside of that I don't care much. I mean I'm not going to be a goddam surgeon or violinist or anything anyway." It's very subtle but at the end of this sentence he gives us a small insight into how he really feels about his future. He has no hope, no plans, and basically no future. He shoots the crap to avoid dealing with all of his problems.
Catcher and the Rye: Chapter 5
I thought chapter five was by far the most beautiful chapter in this book so far. I already liked Holden as a person just because I found his way of thinking so funny, and relate-able, but after reading chapter five it made me love him so much more. We are all made up of experiences. Each and every one of us act the way that we do because of the events and people that we have come across in our life. I knew that there were reasons on why Holden acted the way that he did. When you have people who're so angry and depressed, constantly hating the world and poking fun, it's often because they have their own issues, or their own griefs that they're dealing with, or haven't dealt with. I think Allie's death is only one of the things that Holden hasn't dealt with. I think that's part of the reason why JD choose to write the story the way that he did.
One possible explanation on why his writing style tends to jump around so much, or in a story sense of terms, why Holden is always losing focus on the story at hand is because it could be an analogy on how Holden deals with things. He has a lot of things that he's buried down so deep within himself that he just keeps avoiding, so he's constantly trying to distract himself. Constantly switching subjects to avoid painful thoughts, memories, or feelings. That might be why he switches back and forth from being an adult one second, and being an immature child the next. When you're an adult you have more responsibilities. You're required to deal with all of your problems, no one's going to fix it for you. But when you're a child, the world is your playground. Nothing is that serious, and you don't typically have that tough of issues to deal with.
During Chapter five there's even proof of my theory. Through out the whole time that Holden is talking about Allie he doesn't get off topic. It's beautifully written, staying on one subject, and you can feel yourself opening up along with Holden. But, right after he's done he's back to avoiding tough subjects. Like when he was discussing the night that he broke his hand in the garage, he wanders from his story and says, "I mean- but outside of that I don't care much. I mean I'm not going to be a goddam surgeon or violinist or anything anyway." (pg 39.)
It was very easy for me to relate with Holden because I know exactly where he was coming from. I myself have also lost someone that I cared about deeply. Around ten years ago I lost my grandpa. He meant the world to me. He was one of those people who made me feel like I was actually important. I would go to his house a lot, because when I was younger, it was just me and my mom, and she had to go to school at night and work during the day so when I wasn't at school, I was at my grandparents house. Everyday my grandpa would pick me up from school and take me to get a slice of casey's pizza or to get some kind of special treat after school before we went back to his house. That was such a huge deal to me. My grandpa was also a tough kind of guy. He was the guy who kept everyone together. My mom and dad at the time were going through another one of their splits, and she had just kicked him out again. When my grandpa was alive it was never as dramatic as it got to be later on. He never let anyone hurt us, mentally, physically, or emotionally. He always gave off that safe, calming presence. He died because of an error that was made at the hospital he was seeking treatment at for his cancer. They forgot to check the chart when he went into surgery to remove his feeding tube, to see when the last time that he was fed. They accidently cut into the tube and the feeding material flooded into his lungs and he passed away. I was only seven at the time that he died. When my mom came and told me I ran straight into the bathroom, locked the door, and laid their for hours just sobbing. He took that safe, happy feeling that he gave with him when he left. After he died everything just kind of went to hell. He had been my grandma's high school sweetheart, the only boyfriend she had ever had. She didn't deal with his death well. She moved in with us, and didn't move or speak for months. My dad and my mom's fighting worsened, and that left me to take care and be strong for both me and my little sister. I didn't really have any adults left in my life, because they were all busy dealing with their own problems which didn't leave much for me. It forced me to grow up really quickly. I still never feel as safe, or as happy without him. I think about my grandpa every day, and I miss him more than I could put into words.
You never forget people like that. You never forget the ones who really leave an impact on your life. I could tell you every inch of my grandpa's workshop. So I can relate to Holden being able to describe Allie's mit. The mit was apart of Allie, and Allie was apart of Holden, so it will forever be with him.
One possible explanation on why his writing style tends to jump around so much, or in a story sense of terms, why Holden is always losing focus on the story at hand is because it could be an analogy on how Holden deals with things. He has a lot of things that he's buried down so deep within himself that he just keeps avoiding, so he's constantly trying to distract himself. Constantly switching subjects to avoid painful thoughts, memories, or feelings. That might be why he switches back and forth from being an adult one second, and being an immature child the next. When you're an adult you have more responsibilities. You're required to deal with all of your problems, no one's going to fix it for you. But when you're a child, the world is your playground. Nothing is that serious, and you don't typically have that tough of issues to deal with.
During Chapter five there's even proof of my theory. Through out the whole time that Holden is talking about Allie he doesn't get off topic. It's beautifully written, staying on one subject, and you can feel yourself opening up along with Holden. But, right after he's done he's back to avoiding tough subjects. Like when he was discussing the night that he broke his hand in the garage, he wanders from his story and says, "I mean- but outside of that I don't care much. I mean I'm not going to be a goddam surgeon or violinist or anything anyway." (pg 39.)
It was very easy for me to relate with Holden because I know exactly where he was coming from. I myself have also lost someone that I cared about deeply. Around ten years ago I lost my grandpa. He meant the world to me. He was one of those people who made me feel like I was actually important. I would go to his house a lot, because when I was younger, it was just me and my mom, and she had to go to school at night and work during the day so when I wasn't at school, I was at my grandparents house. Everyday my grandpa would pick me up from school and take me to get a slice of casey's pizza or to get some kind of special treat after school before we went back to his house. That was such a huge deal to me. My grandpa was also a tough kind of guy. He was the guy who kept everyone together. My mom and dad at the time were going through another one of their splits, and she had just kicked him out again. When my grandpa was alive it was never as dramatic as it got to be later on. He never let anyone hurt us, mentally, physically, or emotionally. He always gave off that safe, calming presence. He died because of an error that was made at the hospital he was seeking treatment at for his cancer. They forgot to check the chart when he went into surgery to remove his feeding tube, to see when the last time that he was fed. They accidently cut into the tube and the feeding material flooded into his lungs and he passed away. I was only seven at the time that he died. When my mom came and told me I ran straight into the bathroom, locked the door, and laid their for hours just sobbing. He took that safe, happy feeling that he gave with him when he left. After he died everything just kind of went to hell. He had been my grandma's high school sweetheart, the only boyfriend she had ever had. She didn't deal with his death well. She moved in with us, and didn't move or speak for months. My dad and my mom's fighting worsened, and that left me to take care and be strong for both me and my little sister. I didn't really have any adults left in my life, because they were all busy dealing with their own problems which didn't leave much for me. It forced me to grow up really quickly. I still never feel as safe, or as happy without him. I think about my grandpa every day, and I miss him more than I could put into words.
You never forget people like that. You never forget the ones who really leave an impact on your life. I could tell you every inch of my grandpa's workshop. So I can relate to Holden being able to describe Allie's mit. The mit was apart of Allie, and Allie was apart of Holden, so it will forever be with him.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Catcher and the Rye: Chapters 2 & 3
I personally have really enjoyed reading the book so far. I really love Holden as a character and it's not hard for me to connect with him as a teenager. I've met several people through out my life who remind me so much of Holden it's un-canning. I really enjoy his take on life. Call me crazy, but there's just something about a pessimist. I always wonder how they came to be that way, what makes them tick. I love that they don't have that same cookie cutter take on life. He's what's considered the typical teenage boy, or one of the types of the typical teenage boys. You have the boys who are the classic quarter-back of the football team. The guys who get all the girls, and who would be that perfect son in law to bring home to your parents, and then you have guys like Holden. The guys who don't really care, who in my opinion would be one of those types of boys who are more "gamers" or "skateboarders" in today's society. The guys who are kind of scruffy, who don't really care what your parents think of them. The boys who maybe don't get a whole lot of girls.
I empathize with Holden. I can really relate to his outlook on life, because I myself get that way. That mood where you just don't really feel like being around people, and it just kind of irritates you to be out in public. I get in a mood where all I would like to do is hole up in my room with a good book, and just get lost in it. When he said, "Finally I put my book down on the floor. You couldn't read anything with a guy like Ackley around. It was impossible." I understood where he was coming from. In a house with two younger siblings, when you get in that mood where all you wanna do is be left alone and read a book, you run into similar situations like Holden had with Ackley, a lot.
Another place where I really empathized with Holden was when he said, "Everybody says that, especially my father." I think every teenager at one point or another in their life can empathize with this. It's the typical teenage way to feel misunderstood, or judged, or have run ins with your parents. Everyone at some point or another has had a run in with them, and I think that when Salinger put this quote in the book, it was a huge part no matter how small. Compared to the literature at the time which was written for the parents, this is a huge change. To show it from the teens point of view, that rebelliousness against the authority figure.
I empathize with Holden. I can really relate to his outlook on life, because I myself get that way. That mood where you just don't really feel like being around people, and it just kind of irritates you to be out in public. I get in a mood where all I would like to do is hole up in my room with a good book, and just get lost in it. When he said, "Finally I put my book down on the floor. You couldn't read anything with a guy like Ackley around. It was impossible." I understood where he was coming from. In a house with two younger siblings, when you get in that mood where all you wanna do is be left alone and read a book, you run into similar situations like Holden had with Ackley, a lot.
Another place where I really empathized with Holden was when he said, "Everybody says that, especially my father." I think every teenager at one point or another in their life can empathize with this. It's the typical teenage way to feel misunderstood, or judged, or have run ins with your parents. Everyone at some point or another has had a run in with them, and I think that when Salinger put this quote in the book, it was a huge part no matter how small. Compared to the literature at the time which was written for the parents, this is a huge change. To show it from the teens point of view, that rebelliousness against the authority figure.
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