I'll be honest, most of The Catcher in the Rye failed to make me feel anything but angry (and not in the "righteous" way that Holden is). I had trouble empathizing with Holden and staying invested in what passes for plot in this book. However, the conclusion of the novel has really changed my perception of it as a whole. From chapter 25 to the end of the book, The Catcher in the Rye is everything it promised it would be: light on plot, heavy on character, and actually enjoyable to read.
It's clear throughout the book that Holden is at his best when he's with other people. Although his inner dialogue can be entertaining, the interacts he has with side characters like Ackley and Sally Hayes show the reader the most about our protagonist, as he becomes his most animated during conversations with them. The character who really stands out in this is Phoebe, who Holden both holds in high esteem and doesn't shy away from calling him out. When around Phoebe Holden is the best person he can be.
This is in contrast with one of his lowest points in the book: being harassed by Mr. Antolini and the loneliness that follows. After running from the apartment in the early hours of the morning, Holden is completely alone, and he starts to spiral in the ways we've seen him do before: planning to run away from his life, thinking about death in the pharaoh's tomb, and worrying about is physical health. Seeing him like that and watching him pull himself out of it was kind of inspiring, even if he stumbles along the way (being really mean the Phoebe but eventually making it up to her). He goes on a big emotional rollercoaster in this chapter, and when he stands in front of the carousel and doesn't care if he gets rained on or not, that was the moment I knew that this chapter proves without a doubt that Holden Caulfield can improve, and he might even want to.
Yeah the ending chapters are my favorites too. Holden's trip to New York seemed to be him running away from his problems, so at the beginning and in the middle there's a lot of him doing random stuff and avoiding the point. But at the end everything comes together and he hits "rock bottom", which forces him to deal with at least a few of the issues he's been ignoring. The fact that he actually kind of faces them in an optimistic way end the book on a happy tone, and is a nice contrast from all the complaining at the beginning
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, and think that the end of the book is really revealing about Holden. I think that throughout the beginning of the story, I thought of Holden as stubborn, whiny, and basically a little kid trapped in a 16 year old's body. The way that you brought up that Holden might actually want to improve his life is interesting. Before, we saw a lot of Holden wanting others to improve themselves for him, but it seems as though that mentality is starting to shift. It'd be cool if J.D. Salinger wrote a sequel, because I think that your guess is correct and that the end of the story was a true turning point in Holden's life.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that the last portion of the book completely changed my perception of everything. Until then I was pretty ready to just think of Holden as this naïve edgy teen who thinks he's smarter than everyone he comes across. I think his decision to stay and his interactions with Pheobe really changed that for me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Holden can improve. Obviously, you analyzed the second to last chapter in your blog post, but I think even the last chapter shows his possible change of mindset. I think that last chapter shows Holden realizing that he does actually care about people and miss his old school "friends". He also leaves open the possibility that he would apply himself in school. The second to last chapter combined with the last chapter give me hope that Holden may finally pull himself out of his rut by realizing that there are good things in the world.
ReplyDeleteYeah, despite this being a failed coming of age story for the most part, Holden is still able to give a somewhat hopeful ending. He says he may try in school but he will have to wait and see which is really the best we are going to get from him. He appeared to be losing all control but was able to steady himself. I am sure we would have all liked to see him gain a little maturity but stopping the spiral and saving his life is at least a relief to us.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that he is at his best when he is around other people. My interpretation is that it's because he's yearning for someone to listen. Throughout the book, I noticed that he rarely tells anyone about how he's feeling. This must make him feel lonely, like he's the only person in the world dealing with his negative point of view and depression. I think that can put a lot of weight on someone, the feeling of knowing that no one really knows what's going on and can support you. That's why when he talks to Phoebe about his feelings and she truly listens, he enjoys himself so much more because he knows that someone is finally listening and that there is someone to talk to who actually cares.
ReplyDeleteI love stories where we get to see the main character suffer but then pull out of it. It really brings out a lot from them and we get to see them evolve a lot during these times usually. It was really satisfying to see the arrogant (in a baller kind of way, IMO) Holden finally be put to the test and be forced to give results.
ReplyDeleteYeah the ending was definitely quite transformative. My views on Holden changed a lot too. I completely agree with you on the point that Holden is best around other people, especially Phoebe. Honestly, I'm not quite sure where the "coming-of-age" was in this novel. Maybe that's the whole point. Good job on this post!
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