Homework for Lesson #6, Catcher in the Rye

Jesse's Homework:

Then, in around 250 words, please write a reflection on anything you would like to talk about regarding the book. It could be an analysis of a character, object, quote, or specific scene that really caught your eye, or it could be a larger idea or observation that you have regarding the book. Why do you find it interesting? How do you think that observation or analysis impacts the rest of the book? 

Once I finish the book, I closed it and put it away. There’s a lot to rethink, actually. During the last four chapters, I think Holden has changed a lot, not only his thinkings, but also the way he act. After all, I may reconsider and approve the idea that it’s a “coming of age” story.

During the first 22 chapters, Holden has done a numerous amount of things that which should be known as “childish”. Such as asking about the ducks in central park for two times and drove two people furious, and even went to see it after drunk. And having a date with old Sally and say a lot of crazy words and made her cried. All of these things made the point clear: Holden is absolutely not ready for adulthood and this is never a “coming of age” story. But after that, things are a little different.

In chapter 25, he imagined himself working in some gas station, pretending to be a deaf-mute, build a cabin inside the forest, get married and teach his own kids. Which might seem a bit naive, but it shows that he has an envision of future life and that is an important indicator of being an adult. An adult always need a simple life plan and should think what would happened within 3 to  years. So I think that his envision may gave the saying that he is little by little stepping into adulthood.

Also in chapter 25, he wrote a note to be given to Phoebe, which is said in the book that he wants to see her for the last time, is also in important sign of being an adult. Most adult cherish their families and think before they do, so at least, Holden did not leave without telling anyone. What’s more, he scraped off the “fuck you” words on the wall in the school, and thought of what will happen if the kids see these words. And he was extremely nice to the children that asked hime whether if he knows where the mummies were, he helped the and accompanied them all the way.

In the end, when he irritated Phoebe, he tried a lot to calm her down and made her went on a carrousel which pleased her a lot. And as an adult you probably want to control your temper and always notice others feelings. So after all the instances given above, I can definitely accept the saying that this is a “coming of age” story.

James:

• The song/poem the title references is only mentioned a couple times throughout the book.  Is "The Catcher in the Rye" a good title for this book?  Give examples to support your opinion.

I think “The Catcher in the Rye” is really a good title for this book. When thinking about whether a title to a book is good or appropriate, I believe the connection between the title and the main character or the most important event should be concerned. 

We all know that the author J.D. Salinger finished this book in 1951, the time that the United States just finished fighting in the World War II. It was the time that the economy was not very stable and many people, especially teenagers and young adults wandering on the street and didn’t do their work. Some of them were forced to be homeless by economic crisis, and most of them were under the big, dark threaten of the nuclear war due to the “Cold War”. The society then was full of panic, to use a word I learned from Holden, it was a lousy world. In fact, there were some people who wanted to fight against the dark society, our author was one of them, so he wrote this book in order to reveal the dark side. The author yelled through Holden Caulfield’s voice, which is that 

“Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big   field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around—nobody big, I mean—except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be. I know it’s crazy.”

Holden realize the potential of falling over the cliff, so he wanted to protect those kids. It seems that the author used a metaphor here, and he looked those poor young people in the society as “kids playing in the rye”, and he put himself in Holden who is always willing to take the responsibility to protect, and who is always chasing his own dream to be a catcher. What is more, I understand the word “catcher” in two ways, one is “protector” from Holden’s saying, and another one is “dream catcher”.

The title not only reveals the whole spirit of the novel, but also let us readers who finish this book to have a new understanding of this book from the author’s angle. And we can see that the author was not just willing to show us the dark side of the world, but also the brightness carried by some angels.

Sally's Homework:

I want to share some of my feelings.

When his parents come home, Holden slips out and visits Mr. Antolini, who offers advice on life along with a place to sleep for the night. Mr. Antolini, advises Holden that wishing to die for a noble cause is the mark of the immature man, while it is the mark of the mature man to aspire to live humbly for one. This is at odds with Holden's ideas of becoming a "catcher in the rye", symbolically saving children from the evils of adulthood. Because Holden believes that to be the "catcher in the rye" means to save children from losing their innocence. 

That reminds me of Holden’s brother D.B. D.B. is the guy that is in my opinion, changing from child to adult. That’s maybe the reason why Holden thought he had changed after he went into Hollywood. Because he is acting, and Holden hated actors. He think that adults are acting all the time, so he hated them. D.B. Is a person in this book that we could not simply judge him as a “good” or “bad” person, a “adult” or “children”.