Friday, November 11, 2011
Holden
So when I read "Catcher in the Rye" I was not a fan of how much whining Holden did. He constantly called others phonies because of their misplaced values and the mask they wear. I never understood why Holden would never stick himself out there to meet these people and discover if they truly are phonies. Recently I have come to see the phoniness in many of my piers and the people I observe each day. But honestly who could blame them. We live in a harsh world where appearance can mean everything. How you present youself on a first impression can be vital to the development of a relationship. It is unfortunate but it is the truth. Only at the current time when I truly feel isolated do I understand Holden's issue. He has gotten to the point where he assumes all people aren't worth meeting. He feels that all those times he stuck himself out there it ended only in dissapointment. He figures that others should come to him to prove their worthiness. No matter how inaffective this state of mind is, it is one that I unfortunatly somtimes share. I witness so many people each day who I wonder to myself "Do they really deserve the time they have been given on this planet?". I ask the same of myself and only find difficulty in the truth that all the minutes I spend being bitter over the people I feel don't deserve to breathe my air is time wasted and less time on the clock to prove myself. The disdain and dissatisfaction I hold bundled within myself only hinders but it's difficult to accept that my situation isn't changing anytime soon. This is such a pescimistic post but its hard to be optomistic when so few care to show you just that.
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The amazing thing about Holden is really his judgments of others are his own self-loathing. He is scared of others, yes, but he wants, more than anything, to have someone for whom he feels responsible, someone who needs him to be his best self. What happens to the ducks, he wonders? Does Mother Nature take care of them, even when it seems like everything is empty and frozen? Yes, he finds, she does.
ReplyDeleteEven as I read Catcher for the first time I actually, unlike everyone else in my class, really liked Holden. I found that he was very relatable. He goes through life acting like everyone around him is a phony, while he's the biggest phony of all. he tries to be truthful, and in doing so just piles on the lies. Yet something about him is just so...mezmorizing>? nope wrong word. But like whenever I read things he said I can more or less always remember having a thought similair to his.
ReplyDeleteI also like Holden, and he is one of my favorite characters of all time (explaining why I dressed as him during spirit week), and I am stilled puzzled about the white streak/patch of hair he has, which he reveals to a child's mother while on the train.
ReplyDeleteThat whole part with the kids mom was beyond bizarre for me. Cuz Holden got all "sexy"
ReplyDelete"Would you care for a cocktail?" (57)
ReplyDelete