Catcher in the Rye Litblog Ch. 25-26

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
5/13/13

 

Chapters 25-26

 

Summary: Holden starts to regret leaving Mr. Antolini's house and has second thoughts if Mr. Antolini was in fact making a pass at him. Holden gets his bags and walks up Fifth Avenue and decides that he wants to go out to the mid-west and pretend to be a deaf-mute. He gives a note to Phoebe's school and she meets him by the museum. She wants to go with Holden, but he refuses and to please her he takes her to the zoo and watches her ride the carousel and he promises Phoebe that he isn't leaving after all. In the last chapter of the book, Holden expresses that he misses everyone on his journey and tells people to never tell anyone anything or else you start missing them.

Quotation: "Every time I came to the end of a block and stepped off the goddam curb, I had this feeling that I'd never get to the other side of the street. I thought I'd just go down, down, down, and nobody'd ever see me again"(197).

Quotation Significance: Holden is walking up Fifth Avenue and every time he leaves a curb he feels like he is sinking and dying, like he is escaping his life and his loneliness. This is important because he is telling us that he almost wants to escape from his life and his loneliness.

Reflection: In the last two chapters of the book, Holden considers leaving New York to go to the mid-west and work on a ranch pretending to be a deaf-mute so he doesn't have to talk to anyone and he can live in peace. But when he sees Phoebe on the carousel he realizes how much he would miss his family and how lonely he would be and he decides to abandon this plan and stay in New York after all. Earlier, Holden is walking up Fifth Avenue and every time he leaves a curb he feels like he is sinking and dying, like he is escaping his life and his loneliness. This is important because he is telling us that he almost wants to escape from his life and his loneliness. In the last chapter of the book Holden expresses that when you tell people things you start to miss them. This means that he admits to missing Ackley, Stradlater, Sally, and even Maurice. No matter how lonely Holden is and how much he hates most of the people on his journey he has started to miss them. Overall, this is a good book and it teaches people a lot about what is truly important and how others perceive each other.

Discussion Question: Why does Holden decide not to run away? Why is the curb scene in the book important?



 



Catcher in the Rye Litblog Ch. 21-22

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
5/9/13

Chapters 21-22

 

Summary: Holden gets to the apartment building and tells the elevator boy that he is here to see his aunt and uncle. Holden sneaks into Phoebe's room and reads her school journals for awhile until he decides to wake her up. Holden's parents are away and Phoebe is happy to see Holden but is mad once she finds out that he was expelled from Pencey and then decides to ignore him. In chapter 22, Phoebe asks Holden why he got expelled and Phoebe claims that Holden doesn't like anyone or anything. Holden says he likes Allie and he likes James Castle, who stood up against school bullies. Holden also says he if he could be anything he would be a catcher in the rye.

Quotation: "You don't like anything that's happening...You don't like any schools. You don't like a million things. You don't"(169).

Quotation Significance: Phoebe claims that Holden doesn't like anything. Phoebe is right because Holden believes almost everyone is phony and he hates school and many other places. Holden is lonely because he won't open up and see that he is the phony and the fact that the reason he is lonely is because he won't except anything for what it is.

Reflection: Holden goes to his house because he is lonely and wants to chat with Phoebe. Phoebe is really disappointed that Holden gets expelled from Pencey and ignores him for a little way and is mad at him. Phoebe also claims that Holden doesn't like anyone or anything at all. This isn't totally true but Holden doesn't like most people except for Allie, Jane, and Phoebe.  Phoebe is right because Holden believes almost everyone is phony and he hates school and many other places. Holden is lonely because he won't open up and see that he is the phony and the fact that the reason he is lonely is because he won't except anything for what it is. Holden does say that if he could do anything he would be the catcher in the rye. This idea comes from a dream he has when kids are playing in a field of rye and he has to catch the kids when they accidentally fall off the cliff. This seems symbolic in the book and this passage earned the book it's name "Catcher in the Rye". I think this is symbolizing that when someone falls or becomes sad that someone will always be there to lift them back up and help them enjoy life again. I think this is the kind of person that Holden needs. Holden needs someone to catch him from falling off his cliff.

Discussion Question: What do you think the "catcher in the rye" symbolizes?





Catcher in the Rye Litblog Ch. 19-20

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
5/9/13

 

Chapters 19-20

 

Summary: Holden goes the Wicker Bar at the Seton Hotel to meet up with Luce, a friend from an old school. Luce and Holden drink for awhile and talk about girls. When Luce has to leave, Holden begs him to stay telling Luce that he is lonely. Holden gets drunk after Luce leaves and he calls Sally. Sally figures out he is drunk and tells him to go home. Holden leaves the bar later crying and decides to go to the park and visit the lake. No one was there and afterwards he decides to go home and sneak in the house to talk with Phoebe.

Quotation: "I couldn't stand it. I know it's only his body and all that's in the cemetery, and his soul's in Heaven and all that crap, but I couldn't stand it anyway. I just wish he wasn't there"(156).

Quotation Significance: Holden is really expressing here how much he truly misses Allie and doesn't want him in that cemetery. He wishes Allie is still alive.

Reflection: In these chapters, Holden is becoming very lonely. He goes to have a drink with the boy Luce from one of his old schools and Luce has to leave fairly early and Holden tells him not to leave because he is lonely. Holden has been apart from his family for a few weeks and he is starting to really miss some human interactions. This is why he turns to old friends like Luce and why he finally makes the decision to walk home to sneak in and talk to Phoebe. He really misses Phoebe because she is one of the only people he is close to. Holden has a hard time liking most people because he believes most of them are "phonies". Holden is willing to risk being discovered by his parents to see a member of his family again. Holden still hasn't decided to call Jane but I still believe that he is also close to her and really likes her. Holden also calls Sally when he is drunk because he is still lonely and also why he talks to the bartender about one of the girls that works at the bar. Holden is looking for anyone to talk to him and be with him.

Discussion Question: Why does Holden finally make the decision to go home? Why is Holden lonely and why wont he reach out to Jane?





Catcher in the Rye Litblog Ch. 17-18

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
5/6/13

Chapters 17-18

 

Summary: Holden meets up with Sally to go on a date to see the Lunts in a show. Holden tells Sally he loves her in the car ride there when they are kissing and she says it back. Sally runs into another guy friend of hers at the show and afterwards Sally and Holden go ice-skating and then Holden tells Sally that they should run away together and when Sally refuses Holden calls her a bad word and Holden apologizes but then starts laughing and Sally makes Holden leave.

Quotation: "If you want to know the truth, I don't even know why I started all that stuff with her...She wouldn't have been anybody to go with. The terrible part, though, is that I meant it when I asked her. That's the terrible part. I swear to God I'm a madman" (134).

Quotation Significance: Holden isn't sure why he asked Sally to go off with him and runaway. He thought she was a phony and not even worth going with but he asked her anyway and he meant it when he asked her. Holden has gotten to the point that he is so lonely that he is willing to ask almost anyone to run away with him and be with him.

Reflection: Holden believes that he is a madman. This isn't true, the truth is that Holden feels lonely. This is what motivates him to ask for the prostitute and to ask Sally to run away with him. Holden knows he can't go home and he is doing whatever he can to avoid loneliness and depression. This is also what motivates Holden to tell Sally that he loves her even though Holden actually doesn't really like Sally at all. Holden becomes angry when he calls Sally the bad word because he is angry that she doesn't want to go run away with him. I think that Holden is missing his family and missing the feeling of being part of a family and being home. But he can not go home because his parents do not know that he has been expelled yet and he knows that he is a disappointment to them all. His younger brother Allie and his sister Phoebe are all A+ students and Holden is flunking all of his classes. I also believe that Holden wants to find someone that he doesn't have to constantly compare himself to, someone who is original with a fresh outlook on life.

Discussion Question: Why is Holden so lonely? Why does Holden want Sally to run away with him?





Catcher in the Rye Litblog Ch. 11-12

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
4/24/13

Chapters 11-12

 

Summary: Holden sits in the lobby and starts thinking about Jane. He admits that he likes her and once they were close to kissing. Then Holden went to Ernie's- a night club in Greenwich Village. Ernie, the pianist was showing off for the crowd and Holden got a drink and listened to couples. Later, Holden's brother's ex-girlfriend showed up with her date and Holden found an excuse to leave after talking to them for a few minutes.

Quotation: "You never even worried, with Jane, whether your hand was sweaty or not. All you knew was, you were happy. You really were" (79).

Quotation Significance: It is starting to become more evident that Holden loves Jane and this is why he got into the fight with Stradlater and was always worrying about Jane being with Stradlater.

Reflection: Holden is still hanging out in New York until he has to go home and face his parents once they know he was kicked out of Pencey. We find out that Holden also loves Jane. He talks about how they almost kissed, how they always held hands, and how Holden thought she was beautiful. This is why Holden was fighting Stradlater and why he was so worried about them being together. It might still just be the fact that Stradlater is a womanizer, but some of it is jealously. Holden wishes that Jane was his girlfriend and that he could be with her. He knows what Stradlater can do and he doesn't want this for Jane. Holden also runs into D.B's ex and she starts to ask questions about D.B. and he makes up an excuse to leave.

Discussion Question: How does Holden feel about having to talk to his parents about getting expelled from Pencey?





Catcher in the Rye Litblog Ch. 9-10

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
4-22-13

 

Chapters 9-10

 

Summary: Holden arrives in New York and talks about wanting to call his sister, Phoebe. He decides to stay at the Edmont Hotel. Later that night he calls Faith Cavendish, a girl he had met at a party a year ago. He wanted to meet her for a cocktail but it didn't work out. Then Holden goes down the club in the hotel called the Lavender Room. He dances with a pretty blonde and talks with her and her "ugly friends". After this Holden returns to his room.

Quotation: "There isn't any night club in the world you can sit in for a long time unless you can at least buy some liquor and get drunk. Or unless you're with some girl that really knocks you out"(76).

Quotation Significance: Holden is at the night club and he is saying that bars aren't fun unless you can drink or dance with a pretty girl. Honestly, this shows that Holden values only girls and alcohol.

Reflection: In these two chapters, Holden is all by himself in New York staying at the Edmont Hotel. We learn that he has a sister named Phoebe, who he speaks very highly of. We also learn that inside his mind he is a sex maniac and is always thinking about women. We also find out that he does have some experience with women. Holden also believes that everyone is phony. This makes no sense to me because Holden is one of the phoniest characters in the book. He enjoys lying to people and making up fake identities for himself. Holden seems very hypocritical. Holden also dances with some girls from the night club in the hotel, even though he thinks that they are dumb and two of them are ugly. It seems insane to me that Holden hangs out with people he doesn't like and he constantly pretends to fit in with them and like them. Holden should instead be around smart girls and boys that he likes. So far, this book is good but it's hard for me to understand Holden's way of life.

Discussion Question: Why does Holden go to New York? Why does Holden feel the need to drink and party with women?





Catcher in the Rye Litblog Ch. 3-4

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
4/17/13

 

Chapters 3-4

 

Summary: Holden heads back to his dorm room and reads his book until Ackley- the kid in the next dorm comes in to bug him like he always does. Ackley hates Stradlater (Holden's roommate) and only came when he wasn't around. Ackley is s a rude, dirty, and an annoying senior and he continues to bug Holden until Stradlater arrives. In chapter 4, Holden goes with Stradlater to the bathroom. Stradlater is handsome, a secret slob, and is experienced with sex and women. Stradlater asks him to do a paper for him and tells him about his date and his date tonight is a girl that Holden used to live next to named Jane. Holden becomes worried for Jane when he finds out that she is Stradlater's date and wants to go see her. Then later Ackley barges in again.

Quotation: "I kept thinking about Jane, and about Stradlater having a date with her and all. It made me so nervous I nearly went crazy. I already told you what a sexy bastard Stradlater was"(34).

Quotation Significance: Holden is worried about Jane because he knows that Stradlater just wants to have sex with her and he doesn't want Jane to be pressured to do anything she doesn't want to do and he likes Jane and he thinks that she deserves better.

Reflection: In these chapters we get to know how Holden's life is at school. We learn about his roommate, Stradlater. He is a womanizer, strong, fit, conceited, handsome, and a secret slob. He is always going on dates with girls and he is angry because his date is only allowed to be out until 9:30. Stradlater only wants to have sex and he is mad that he wont have time to do this if she goes home at 9:30. Holden then finds out his date is Jane and he talks about how she loves to dance, checkers, and her family situation. It seems that it is possible that Holden is in love with Jane. He is concerned when he finds out that Stradlater is going on a date with her and he doesn't want Jane to be pressured to do something she doesn't want to do and he thinks that she deserves better than Stradlater. He might also be upset because she isn't going out with him. I think that Holden thinks that he has no chance because Stradlater is handsome and strong and he abandons his plans to say hello to her and heads to his room. Holden is also constantly bombarded by Ackley. Ackley hates Stradlater and he is always picking up Holden's things, not listening to Holden, and is also treating Holden like a kid. It seems like Ackley just wants to have a friend and be the boss of someone.

Discussion Question: Do you think that Holden is in love with Jane?