Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Chapters 5~9
This portion of the book starts out Holden and his friends eating out and returning to the dorm. Ackley then bothers Holden again, so Holden kicks Ackley out of the room and writes the english composition for Stradlater. It's supposed to be description of a simple object, but Holden decides to write about Allie's, his dead brother, baseball glove. When Stradlater returns from his date with Jane Gallagher and reads the composition, he is infuriated because the composition is off-topic. Holden gets angry and rips it and smokes to bother Stradlater. Holden asks about the date, but Stradlater refuses to tell him the details. Angered, Holden attacks Stradlater, but is soon overpowered because Stradlater is stronger. While Holden continues to insult Stradlater, Stradlater makes him a bloody nose and leaves the room. Holden goes to Ackley's room and talk. Ackley is uninterested. Then, Holden decides an excursion to New York until his parents hear about the expulsion. Holden gets on a late train, where he encounters his classmate's mother. Although, Holden dislikes his classmate (Ernest), he makes up absurd lies about his name, his reason of going to New York, and about Ernest. When Holden arrives, He tries to think of a person to call, but he finds himself with no one to call on. He then takes a cab to the hotel. In the cab, he asks where the ducks go in the Central Park lagoon during winter. The driver is uninterested, though. When Holden gets into the hotel room and looks out the window, there are numerous sexual activities going on, which bugs Holden because Holden doesn't like simple sexes. He then calls a girl named Cavendish, which is a friend of a guy he met at a club for a date. He is rejected because the girl wants to sleep, but Holden also refuses to wait for a reschedule.
My first impression to the 5 chapters I have read, is that Holden is pitiful. This moment is probably the hardest time of his life: he has no power, no money, no education, no friends, and most importantly, no purpose of life or whatsoever. His actions are vastly determined by his emotions, which are also unstable. Therefore, his actions are stupid, as it is evident in his attack to Stradlater. Even though he knew (as it is mentioned previously in the book) Stradlater was stronger than him, Holden flew on Stradlater, resulting to have a bloody nose. I think the probable reason he became so unstable emtionally is after his brother's death. In the chapters, it says he broke all the windows in the garage "just for the hell of it," breaking his hand. I think this portrays that Holden doesn't think beforehand of his actions. These sets of actions can also be characterized as immaturity. I think Holden often tries to act nonchalant through the events that truly infuriate him, and over-react or cannot express at all on things that aren't so important. Therefore, in a way, Holden contains some characteristics of a child. Over-reaction is evident on the jump to Stradlater and unable to express feelings are evident in the numerous lies to his classmate's mother. As I have progressed 9 chapters of this book, I am beginning to think that the theme of this book is puberty.
Chapters 5~9
This portion of the book starts out Holden and his friends eating out and returning to the dorm. Ackley then bothers Holden again, so Holden kicks Ackley out of the room and writes the english composition for Stradlater. It's supposed to be description of a simple object, but Holden decides to write about Allie's, his dead brother, baseball glove. When Stradlater returns from his date with Jane Gallagher and reads the composition, he is infuriated because the composition is off-topic. Holden gets angry and rips it and smokes to bother Stradlater. Holden asks about the date, but Stradlater refuses to tell him the details. Angered, Holden attacks Stradlater, but is soon overpowered because Stradlater is stronger. While Holden continues to insult Stradlater, Stradlater makes him a bloody nose and leaves the room. Holden goes to Ackley's room and talk. Ackley is uninterested. Then, Holden decides an excursion to New York until his parents hear about the expulsion. Holden gets on a late train, where he encounters his classmate's mother. Although, Holden dislikes his classmate (Ernest), he makes up absurd lies about his name, his reason of going to New York, and about Ernest. When Holden arrives, He tries to think of a person to call, but he finds himself with no one to call on. He then takes a cab to the hotel. In the cab, he asks where the ducks go in the Central Park lagoon during winter. The driver is uninterested, though. When Holden gets into the hotel room and looks out the window, there are numerous sexual activities going on, which bugs Holden because Holden doesn't like simple sexes. He then calls a girl named Cavendish, which is a friend of a guy he met at a club for a date. He is rejected because the girl wants to sleep, but Holden also refuses to wait for a reschedule.
My first impression to the 5 chapters I have read, is that Holden is pitiful. This moment is probably the hardest time of his life: he has no power, no money, no education, no friends, and most importantly, no purpose of life or whatsoever. His actions are vastly determined by his emotions, which are also unstable. Therefore, his actions are stupid, as it is evident in his attack to Stradlater. Even though he knew (as it is mentioned previously in the book) Stradlater was stronger than him, Holden flew on Stradlater, resulting to have a bloody nose. I think the probable reason he became so unstable emtionally is after his brother's death. In the chapters, it says he broke all the windows in the garage "just for the hell of it," breaking his hand. I think this portrays that Holden doesn't think beforehand of his actions. These sets of actions can also be characterized as immaturity. I think Holden often tries to act nonchalant through the events that truly infuriate him, and over-react or cannot express at all on things that aren't so important. Therefore, in a way, Holden contains some characteristics of a child. Over-reaction is evident on the jump to Stradlater and unable to express feelings are evident in the numerous lies to his classmate's mother. As I have progressed 9 chapters of this book, I am beginning to think that the theme of this book is puberty.
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