The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a famous novel of teenage loneliness and breakdown. In it, The protagonist Holden is held up in a mental institution. He doesn’t say this directly but it is inferred by his sarcastic and vague remarks. He goes to tell the story of what led up to him being there, but does so in a very roundabout way. He tells of how he failed out of his prep school, Pencey, not because of his lack of intelligence but his refusal to apply himself in any of the subjects he found to be uninteresting, which was all but English. Before he leaves Pencey he is confronted by his roommate Stradlater who is the picture of a perfect American youth, but in reality he is a gross and arrogant boy who takes advantage of Holden’s former girlfriend, Jane. This angers Holden very much and so he leaves the school and runs away to New York City. In New York Holden can not escape the “Phoniness” that he was surrounded with at prep school. The older people he meets in bars do not impress him as he finds them arrogant as well. Through out the book Holden finds himself attracted to things that are innocent and not tarnished by societies rules. His sister, the ducks in central park, and the museum are some of the only things Holden enjoys. About the museum he says, “The best thing though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right were it was.” Another example of Holden’s fondness for innocence is ironically when he has a prostitute called to his room, but when she gets there he only wants to talk and then pay her in an effort to make her leave. He tries to be interested in the societal world but find himself disgusted with it. When he returns home he visits his sister again, and after a few more sign of mental breakdown like passing out and seeing his dead brother, it is assumed that Holden is taken to the mental institution in which he now resides. Holden exemplifies the feelings of unhappiness that most adolescents have with the world around them, however, he is so affected by this that he is driven mad.
1. What would you do if you felt feelings of loneliness and distrust with the world as Holden does? Keep them to yourself or seek help?
2. Do you think Holden is right to be angry about the society he sees around him or should he just put up with it in order to live a happy, though somewhat false life.
9 comments:
2. I think Holden has a right to be angry at society. No one should have to put up with what other people think about them and have to accept what they say to make themselves happy. You need to be able to accept yourself as you are to make yourself happy.
To answer the first question, if I felt feelings of loneliness and distrust I would probably keep them to myself despite it being the wrong thing to do. I should seek help in order to achieve happiness. To answer the second question I agree with Kelsey. I firmly believe in the saying that one creates his or her own happiness. The only way to accomplish this goal is to accept one's self as a person and to go after any and all goals that will satisfy one's desires. Holden has a right to be upset with society; however, if he simply stands by and allows himself to remain uphappy, it doesn't really matter that he is upset with society because nothing will change. He should be true to his feelings and should therefore attempt to attain true happiness.
If I were alone like Holden is, I would probably seek out help. However, if people let me down or didn't help me, I would likely resort to frustration and end up keeping it all inside.
Everyone has feelings of loneliness and distrust at some point in their lives. If I were him, I'd try to keep it to myself, because being put into an institution by people that I was supposed to trust to take care of me would make me feel a lot more lonely and distrustful than if I just kept these thoughts inside.
I would keep them to myself and only seek help from very few people and only those I think I could trust. He shouldn't have to feel the way that he's feeling but sadly that is how our world is. There are always going to be things that are disappointing, make you feel lonely, or see how things are. I agree with what Kristen and Kelsey have said.
1. Like most above me have said, even though it's most likely the wrong thing to do, I would keep any feelings of loneliness and distrust to myself. Everyone has moments of their life when they feel this way. If it were to get out of hand, then I would attempt to seek out help.
2. I do believe Holden has a right to be angry with society, but at the same time, I feel that he needs to understand that while society does change, it usually happens slowly overtime. In order for him to be happy, he will need to somehow find a balance between society and his life.
1. If i felt lonely and was not able to trust the world, I would probably isolate myself from everyone. Trust is one of my biggest issues. If someone does something to lose my trust, it is hard for me to learn to trust them again. I should seek help to be happy again if I felt this way, but I do not think I would if I was to be in that situation.
2. I feel that Holden has the right to be upset with society. It is wrong for someone to has to put up with what others think of them. I agree with Erika that he does need to find a balance between society and his own personal life. He must realize that everything around him is changing as he is changing too.
If I felt any feelings of loneliness or distrust with the world I would probably keep that to myself. Everyone must deal with feelings like this at some point in their life. If this occurred all the time, however, I would most likely ask for help.
1.) I would probably keep my feelings to myself and try and recover on my own. Personally, I don't like asking for help so I would not seek out help.
Post a Comment