Catcher In The Rye- Discussion

My impressions and predictions have been different than in the book regarding some of the chapters. Some of the things that Holden did surprised me. I thought he made a lot of bad decisions, such as drinking, getting kicked out of school, and staying alone in a hotel without talking to anyone about it first. Personally, I think Holden is too young to go into bars and stay in hotels. I noticed that he made a lot of bad decisions, but some of them surprised me. I did not think he would do some of the things he did, such as asking grown women to go out for a drink with him.

Holden's definition of phony is hypocritical. He is annoyed with the crying woman sitting next to him in the movie because she is crying as if she is sympathizing with the characters, when really Holden say she is not kind at all. She yells at her child throughout the movie because the poor kid is bored and has to use the bathroom. Sometimes, someone will tell me that they just read a book and it was terrible. Then they tell me to read it. This fits Holden's definition of phony because the person has just said it is terrible, then they say go read it. It is hypocritical.

Holden sees to be insecure and depressed. He swears frequently; using bad language can be a sign of self insecurity. He is an underage drinker and he smokes. These actions suggest he is depressed. Holden also says he is depressed a lot. He thinks about his sister and girls and mopes around. I also think that Holden does not believe in himself. I do not think he has a lot of hope. He has been kicked out of school, so he gets a room in a hotel in the city and goes to bars every night. He has been kicked out of other schools before that one; I think he has lost faith in himself to do the right thing and make it through school.

The situation in chapter thirteen symbolizes sympathy. When Holden hung up Sunny's dress, he felt a pang of sadness. He felt bad for her because she told him that she worked all night long every night and slept all day or watched movies. He felt bad because she did not have much of a life. Holden empathized over her situation. He noticed that her manners were not the best, and knew that she did not know any better.