Catcher Topics (Part I)
... as generated by students:
A. Is HC happy or sad (assume the false dilemma and pick one)?
B. Why does HC hate movies?
C. Would you be good friends with HC? Why or why not?
D. Who does HC remind you of most this year (in terms of literature we've read)?
E. Does HC have a better life than a student at SHS? Why or why not?
F. Who is the "you" to which HC refers?
G. Does HC have any friends?
H. Would you consider HC to be dynamic or static?
posted by D. Robin @ 5/07/2009
16 comments
16 Comments:
Why does Holden hate movies? I believe the reason Holden hates movies so much is because he sees people acting, and labels them as “phonies”. To Holden, the word phony has a negative connotation, and means someone who cannot be true to themselves, and always has to be putting on an act to impress others, such as Stradlater, who in Holden’s eyes is never true to himself, and is always putting on an act to impress everyone around him. In movies, the role of an actor is to play the part of a character, and to Holden this makes them phony because he sees it as them not having enough courage to be themselves. On page ##, he says, “…I hate actors. They never act like people. They just think they do.” This shows how he sees actors as phonies, making the whole movie experience a dud for him.
Melissa Baxter :)
Why does HC hate movies?
First off, Holden constantly expresses that he does not like phonies. I assume phonies to mean people who are fake or not genuine in their personality. Holden calls Stradlater a phony for being a secret slob and for being friendly towards Ackley when he knows Ackley dislikes him. He refers to Sally and her acquaintance at the play as phony for acting like they are long lost friends when they only met once. Presumably, Holden dislikes the movies then because they are full of phonies. Actors are all phonies with Holden’s logic because they are playing a character that is not them. Oddly enough, Holden says he can tolerate plays a little more, even though they are exactly the same thing, only plays are live. Perhaps Holden hates the movies because he envies the glamorous life they live. However, Holden says several times that his father is rich, so he too lives a comfortable life. The reason for Holden’s dislike of the movies is a complicated matter.
Josh Pirahmadi
Why does HC hate the movies? Movies portay life in a completely different manner than what we see in everyday life. HC views his life in a very different way. He picks out all the negatives around him and doesn't see many positives. The movies, however, usually end with a happy ending, one that many people don't find within their lives. HC sees all the bad people and situations he is faced with in his world that he doesn't believe that happy endings exist. He doesn't take any initiative in his life to get somewhere in life. He's at a stalemate with himself. If is life were a movie no one would want to watch it.
I could never be friends with Holden Caulfield for two main reasons. First, Holden Caulfield reminds me of people who constantly have something bad to say about others. These types of people are very judgmental and always talk negatively about others. Every person Holden meets has an aspect about him or her that he thinks is phony. He makes judgments about people he does not even know. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people talk negatively about others. I do not think that it is necessary to say negative things about people behind their backs. When people talk badly about others, it causes unnecessary drama. Another reason why I could never be friends with Holden is that he is a major hypocrite. He hates phony people but when he talks to them, he pretends to like them. He will talk to them and befriend them even though he thinks negatively about them. This is very hypocritical because by doing this he is being phony. In one moment of the book, he is bashing someone and in the next moment, he is befriending him or her. When he sees people doing this, he calls them out on it and says they are phony but then he turns around and does the same thing. Holden’s constant negative outlook on people and hypocrisy causes me to dislike him and therefore I could never be friends with him.
I think I would be good friends with HC because he is just a teenager with a pessimistic attitude, like every teenager today (for the most part). Even though his pessimism would sooner or later bother me, his sarcasm makes me laugh. He reminds me of myself at times when he talks sarcastically. The only thing I would dislike about Holden is the fact that he is so depressed all the time and never takes any initiative in his life. He never makes decisions unless he is compelled to do so by some other cause. However, I would be content with dealing that his indecisiveness because my friends rarely make decisions when needed.
Sonal Chaudhari
The style through which Salinger develops Holden throughout the novel turns friendship with Holden into a very real possibility for the audience. Yes, Holden does tend to keep his distance from others in order to avoid becoming attached to many people, therefore one could argue it would be too difficult to be close friends with Holden. However, this is precisely what makes friendship so possible, especially for a teenage audience. The desire to shield one’s inner self from others to avoid potentially negative outcomes is a shared desire among teenagers. Think about it, how many teens do you know who are completely honest with themselves or others about their thoughts, desires, or beliefs? I cannot think of any, especially not Holden. Holden is very similar to the majority of teenagers, making it easy to relate to him. Once this connection has been developed, a platform has been formed from which the audience can dive into a close friendship with Holden.
Maggie Miller
Would you be good friends with HC? Why or why not?
I think that true friendship depends on similarities and differences. You can know someone forever and not get along with them at all simply because your personality types don’t mix well, and you can know someone for only a few days and feel very close and comfortable with them because your personality types are perfect for each others. Holden and I would not get along. To be perfectly honest, Holden has they type of personality that I can’t stand. He wines about everything, is totally condescending, is absolutely paranoid, and makes the most rash decisions without even considering the consequences. His thought process is all over the place and his immaturity disgusts me. I am by no means implying that I am the prefect teenager and friend. I understand that everybody has a flaws and everyone acts that way at times. I am simply stating that due to different personality characteristics Holden and I would most likely spend most of our time arguing. Independence, modest confidence, and maturity are important when it comes to new relationships with people, and Holden just doesn’t seem to have those three basic characteristics.
-Amanda Musolf
Holden Caulfield presents a one-of-a-kind personality in Catcher in the Rye. His unique character constantly critiques the world and its inhabitants for being too ugly, too happy, too phony, too anything. I, personally, would not be friends with Holden Caulfield. Honesty and a good sense of humor are traits that I value most in my friends; Holden lacks both. Holden never finds contentment in life. His own little sister calls him out on his unhappiness and the satisfaction that he lacks. I could not build a friendship with Holden, because trying to please his constant demands would wear me down to nothing. Holden’s moodiness and random shifts in personality would strain our relationship as well.
-Chrissy LoCascio
I personally don't think that I would be good friends with HC. I could probably stand talking to him or even possibly enjoy a conversation with him, but he just doesn't share my view of the world. Holden complains constantly and allows himself to fail in an environment where, in my opinion, he could be incredibly successful. Holden seems to have a high intelligence, but he resigns himself to do less than he is capable. This do less mentality is evidenced by his academic record and his plans/impulse ideas for his future. Also, he never works hard enough to changes the things he complains about, and he only finds more things to complain about as time passes. While I realize this type of personality is probably the standard for teenagers in modern society, I personally do not like it. Although I accept this stereotype in order to fit into society, I still believe that I would dislike Holden because he represents an extreme of the teenage stereotype.
Does HC have a better life than a student at SHS? Why or why not?
I do not think that Holden has a better life than a student at SHS. Although many of the teenagers may think that SHS is hell for them and this is the worst school ever, they fail to realize that we have privileges that many other teenagers have not even heard of. We complain about policies that the school enacts, but at least the school is concerned about our safety. Most schools that are in a community with an overwhelming poverty rate do not get to enjoy most of the privileges that we students take granted for at SHS. Take the ID lanyards for example. How dramatic can students at SHS possibly be? Students tried setting up a “strike” in the main hallway to rebel against lanyards? Really? But I digress, back to Holden. Holden goes to a private, prep school with many different opportunities surpassing SHS. But, Holden does not have a better life because he refuses to take advantage of them. Holden also suffers from what I believe are severe psychological disorders. So, I do not think that Holden has a better life than a student at SHS.
Would you be good friends with HC? Why or why not?
Holden is the complete opposite of me in so many aspects of his personality. Although I can be judgmental at times, as well, he takes it to a whole new level. Every word out of his mouth seems to be a lie and he is a complete hypocrite. He labels people as phony quite easily without actually getting to know the person. I like to believe that I am not this way and that I give people a chance before making opinions. Despite being so completely different, I am friends with people that are like this. I like to think that we balance each other out and learn from each other. Because of this, I think that it would be possible for me to be friends with Holden.
Holden Caulfield, though an interesting character in the book, does not present himself as a good friend. He makes many rash decisions using poor logic because he does not think his actions through. I instead choose to take a more sangfroid approach towards situations. Holden lacks the ability to find true happiness within himself or the people that surround him. He constantly finds problems and grievances with people and complains about them. Happiness is a wonderful feeling and I would feel deprived not having the ability to experience this emotion. I strive towards happiness in the actions I take, yet Holden digs himself into a deeper hole every time he flunks out of school or calls up a phony friend. These differences between us would not allow a strong friendship to grow, yet antagonize me to the very core of my existence.
~Aleks Prajwowska
Holden and I could not be friends. We would get on each other’s nerves way too much. We don’t hold the same views on everything, such as the drinking issue, but in general we have a few similarities. We’re both kinda negative. In life, like in physics, negatives seem to repel each other. If two negative people are stuck together for too long, there are often problems. We both have no idea as to what we will do with the rest of our lives. I know I want to go to college, but after that I have no clue. Holden has an even shorter plan and just wants to get through until Wednesday. Holden hates movies, and I know few movies. Holden and I have a few too many traits in common for us to make good friends. I feel that friends need some variance or else a friendship is boring and cannot grow or adapt.
A. Is HC happy or sad (assume the false dilemma and pick one)?
Assuming Holden must be either happy or sad, though I believe he sits somewhere in between, I think he would fit better on the sad side. He seems to try and portray himself as somewhat apathetic to his world. When he discusses the fact that he got kicked out of so many prep schools, Holden describes it as something that he did to himself and did not really care about. I think that deep down, he is unhappy with his life, so he decided to stop trying. His judgmental comments regarding others represent that same issue. Instead of dealing with his own issues, he projects them onto the people around him because he is too depressed to deal with it himself.
Brianna Saviano
Does Holden have any friends? To me, a friend is a person you can tell all your secrets to and they are there for you when you need help. A friend is also a person you enjoy spending a lot of time with. Holden often hates all of the people that could possibly be his friends. Ackley and Stradlater are not true friends as Holden is not a true friend to them because he simply uses them to make himself look better. Holden has many people he can go to for help but no one that is a real friend to him. I don’t think that Holden has any actual friends. Would you be good friends with HC? Why or why not? I don’t think I would be very good friends with Holden because of the rash decisions he makes. Holden and I are two very different people on the decisions we make. For example I would have called my parents as soon as I found out that I flunked out. The longer he waits, the more upset his parents will be. He also dislikes too many things and always has a negative comment towards something. Maybe I would talk to him at school but I wouldn’t be friends with him.
Jess Lucas
1. Since Mr. Robin is making us adhere to the false dilemma, I would choose that Holden is sad in Catcher in the Rye. From the reading of the book I believe that Holden is still sad over the death of his brother Allie. The readers don’t see this sadness in terms of tears or anything like that but anger. When he did the assignment for Stradlater and wrote about Allie’s baseball mitt and Stradlater did not like it and talked bad about the mitt Holden got mad and started making remarks to Stradlater which made Stradlater mad. Holden still dwells over the death of Allie and since he does not talk too much about it, I believe he is still confused on why the death occurred.
2. The “you” the Holden refers to in the book is any reader who can relate to Holden in any way possible, whether that is one trait or all of the traits of Holden.
-Mo Khan
P. 1
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