Holden.
I
think Salinger wrote a very interesting character. At times I felt like I could
relate to some degree with Holden, but at other times I thought he just didn’t
make sense. I beefed the most with Holden when he kept complaining about how
“phony” everything was while doing the exact thing. It was hard to get through
the middle of the novel when Holden was mentioning how phony everything was in
every other sentence. He was kind of annoying, a hypocrite, and didn’t seem to
take everything too seriously (or not seriously enough). This made me wonder if
this was the teen life through adult eyes. Did adults look at us and see Holden?
I really hoped they didn’t.
The
last couple chapters of The Catcher in the Rye were what changed my mind about
Holden and how accurately Salinger portrayed coming of age. I think after
Holden left for New York and drank a lot he became increasingly unhinged.
Holden’s mental seemed to be breaking a bit and that’s when all his
insecurities, anxieties, and problems were openly displayed. I felt myself
reflecting on my own life and how I could relate to Holden to some degree. I
could understand his unwillingness to let go of childhood and being afraid of
the future. I agree with him that there is an innocence to youth, and feeling
scared to watch people lose that youth. Although I’m scared of growing up I
definitely can’t understand Holden’s logic of the “phoniness” of older people.
After witnessing Holden struggling with these issues I felt like I could
understand him better. I like how imperfect his character is and how he’s
trying to maneuver through this messy part of his life, it’s very coming of age.
Great post! I think that Holden's transformation in the last few chapters is very much indicative of the path that he's traveled. The only real thorn in that pricks my idea of this being a coming of age novel is that there isn't a very obvious new "phase" that Holden has morphed into. Maybe this subtlety in his "phase change" is what sets his journey apart and highlights the nuance of human growth, but who knows I guess.
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up some good points about Holden's character. He is oftentimes calling people a phony, when he himself does the same thing. Thus, he is almost excessively hypercritical. I actually think this might be more reflection on society, such that even if one notices the phony things going around them, because of how society is set up, they are inclined to do the same things. Furthermore, the excessiveness may be to show that this happens a lot.
ReplyDeleteI agree that at times Holden definitely seemed hypocritical, but I think it was him putting on a bravado inside of his head to seem older to deal with the fact that he is still somewhat stuck on his lost childhood. We see him being fairly childish in a lot of scenes, yet act very old in his head, like when he talked about going to bars a lot but the people in the bars seemed to recognize him as too young by the way he looked and acted.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that Holden became more relatable near the end as we learned more about him. To me, Holden's obsession with putting down other things as "phony" seemed realistically juvenile, placing himself higher than others, despite not being legitimately superior. I think that that lack of self-awareness can be seen in people of all ages, but it's very common in teenagers.
ReplyDeleteGood post! I could also relate to Holden in some parts but not others. He would be hypocritical of some things in the book but also seem sincere in others. The comment about adults viewing teenagers in this way is alarming but I don't think they do. I also don't like how he calls everyone phony based on their adult life. I know growing up can be hard but we have to accept it and let ourselves go through it because there is really no way to prevent it. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you a lot in your analysis that Holden became more and more sympathetic as his mental state deteriorated. I think in a lot of ways Holden during the beginning of the novel can be seen as putting up a front to try to impress the reader, but as the story progresses he becomes more comfortable with the reader and as a result, more candid and open.
ReplyDeleteHm reading your post makes me think what the other people in Holden's world would be thinking of the world as well. Honestly I think I had a phase in life (years ago around fifth or sixth grade) when I thought everyone was acting all phony and fake, but I've naturally grown out of that phase by becoming like the other people who I thought was phony. Maybe other people (in the book) had a period of childhood innocence where they thought everyone was phony, but eased out of that thought as they grew into conventional social life??
ReplyDeleteYou say that Holden sometimes doesn't "make sense," and that's true--but what's interesting about his case to me is that he often doesn't make sense to HIMSELF either, and that seems realistic to me. He's often saying some variant on "I don't know why I said this" or "I'm crazy, I swear," and I definitely don't get the sense in this novel that he is entirely in command of his words and actions. He's incredibly impulsive, and he does contradict himself--as do many of us, if we're honest, and Holden is all too aware that he contradicts himself. He can come off as arrogant and cocky, but there's a deep insecurity and self-doubt in Holden, even a self-loathing at times. He comes on so strong as a narrator, often deflecting from himself by pointing the critical gaze at others, so it's not always easy to see the deeper self-criticism this novel articulates. He sees himself being phony, and he hates it, but he can't help it. That's the dilemma in a nutshell.
ReplyDelete