The Catcher in the Rye #3

The setting of The Catcher in the Rye has a lot of effect on Holden's character.  Seeing as the story takes place in New York City, it's no wonder why Holden feels so overwhelmed with the world.  The city is so fast paced, and ever changing, it's almost impossible to keep up.  At first glance, the setting of the story really doesn't seem to have that much effect on Holden, but once you look into it in depth, you realize just how much of an impact his surroundings have on him.  Holden seems to be drowning in this sea of life, the waves of media and society are just too much for him to handle on his own.  He can barely get a grip of who he is, let alone in the big apple.  Part of New York City that he talks about a lot (aside from the the ducks in the lagoon in Central Park South) is the Museum of Natural History.  Life is just moving too quickly for old Holden, and I think he finds a particular liking in the museum because life is frozen, things stay as the are as long as they're in that big, awkward glass case.  "Certain things they should stay the way they are.  You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone.  I know that's impossible, but it's too bad anyway" (pg. 122).  I think a part of him wanting to leave the city is so that he can just live life at his own pace.  While Holden is still living in New York City, he's forced to create his own glass case and live inside it just so he can keep his sanity aligned, also where no one can write "the F word" all over the place.  This is another component of the setting that adds to the characterization of Holden.  This is another reason why he just cannot handle the pace of life of where he lives.  I think when he sees that this is written all over the walls of various places, he sees just how cruel the "real world" is.  It seems like that is another reason why he puts up this refusal to grow up.

The Catcher in the Rye #2

Either this book is filled with symbols or I'm over analyzing.  To start off, I think that Holden's red hunting hat is very important to this story and it has much more than only one meaning.  He knows that it isn't the most attractive thing in the world but he wears it anyway.  However, who he is around when he wears it is a different story.  It seems like he only wears it when he's around people that he's really close with like Pheobe or Stradler, but he keeps it in his pocket when he's around people that he's just met or people that he's not really that good of friends with, like the ladies in the Lavender Room or the weird prostitute who he hires just to talk to.  "I took my old hunting hat out of my pocket while I walked, and put it on.  I knew I wouldn't meet anybody that knew me, and it was pretty damp out" (pg. 122).  I think that this might be his attempt to try to grow up a little bit.  Sure he's going to be the same old Holden around the people that he's comfortable with but when he's out and about, he never says anything about this hat.  I think this red hunting hat can be a symbol of his immaturity.  I also think that the hat is a protection to him of some sort.  The hunting hat shields his weird, immature, and awkward personality from the outside world.  Holden doesn't want to conform to, or be a part of society (especially in New York City) and this hat is a form of "sticking it to the man" per say.  It's unique and it shows that Holden wants to be different and separated from everyone else.  Now this last symbol of the hat may be quite the stretch but it works in my mind.  The hunting hat is red, which is the same color as Allie's and Pheobe's hair.  Maybe another reason why Holden wears this phony hat is so that he can feel closer to them, especially Allie.  The hat symbolizes the companionship that he has for his brother and sister, not so much D.B. though.  He never really shows love towards him which may also be a reason why he wears it. 

The Catcher in the Rye #1

Holden Caulfield is a very interesting and intriguing character.  He's so sarcastic, he reminds me of myself in a way.  Although he acts this way, I think that this behavior is a result of how he views life.  I think Holden is overwhelmed with how much the world has to offer and this immature and negative attitude just shows that he's simply afraid of the world; how dangerous it is, how successful you can be, how you can live with no set home for a couple days, etc.  I believe that this view on life has a lot to do with the death of his brother, Allie.  It seemed like after Allie died, he almost gave up what he could have and what he did have, much like Mersault in The Stranger. Holden seems to have disconnected himself from society as a result of the death of his brother.  He's just like the ducks in the lagoon that he keeps asking about.  I think him asking about the ducks is very symbolic to his character.  "Then I thought of something, all of a sudden. 'Hey, listen,' I said.  'You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? That little lake? By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over?  Do you happen to know, by any chance?'" (pg. 60).  His persistence in asking about these ducks gives the reader an inkling on how lost Holden Caulfield is.  The ducks represent himself and it seems like he's asking other people what he should do next in his life.  It's like Holden wants some sort of routine like the ducks have, they leave in the winter and come back in the spring.  He has no sort of routine, no sense of direction unlike the ducks.  Holden is a very socially awkward young man and I think it is because he doesn't have that sense of direction or motivation much like other people do or other species as a matter of fact.