Holden's Feelings - The Cather in the Rye

Hi guys!! Sorry it has been a while since I’ve blogged last. Like many others, I’ve been busy studying for the AP test. Anyways, now that the test over, I’ve continued reading The Catcher in the Rye. I’ve learned a lot more about Holden Caulfield. The last time I blogged, I was in the middle of Holden’s conversation with his teacher Mr. Spencer. I finished the conversation and have some new insights into what kind of person Holden is. He continues to externally portray the “I-don’t-care” kind of attitude I talked about earlier, but we can also see that he actually does care. On passage from the novel that stood out to me that illustrates this is when Holden is leaving from is visit with Mr. Spencer, and says, “ Then we shook hands. And all that crap. It made me feel sad as hell, though” (15). This passage illustrates Holden’s attitude as well as his inner feelings. I think that Holden is someone who has a hard time figuring out what he is actually feeling, and even a harder time articulating what he feels. I think I will get more insight into Holden’s feelings when he actually leaves his school, Pencey Prep, which he has flunked out of.

The Catcher in the Rye: part1

I have begun to read The Catcher in the Rye. Although I am not that far through it yet, I have met the main character Holden Caulfield. Holden seems to be a very interesting character. Although he narrates the book, he has not directly told the reader much about himself. Facts about him and his life and his personality are revealed to the reader as the novel progresses. Holden seems to me to be a funny sarcastic guy who has an “I-don’t-care” kind of attitude. The reader knows he is getting kicked out of his boarding school, Pencey Prep in Pennsylvania, for his terrible grades and unmotivated attitude. Although Holden shows how much he doesn’t care about things, from his schoolwork to the “biggest” football game of the year, he does go to visit one of his old teachers. I am in the middle of their conversation now. I wonder how and why Holden has been so impacted by this teacher, Mr. Spencer. I also feel that Holden has impacted Mr. Spencer in ways he doesn’t even understand.

The Catcher in the Rye

I have decided to read the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger as my first independent book to read. I have heard many comments, both positive and negative, about it, so I am deciding to read it to make an opinion of my own. On the positive side, I have heard that it was one of the first novels many teenagers were able to read and connect with, and still read today. I wonder if there are many controversial ideas that make it appealing to teenagers, while a little strange for others. I have also heard of The Catcher in the Rye because I know that the man that killed John Lennon apparently picked up this novel after he killed John Lennon. I do not know much more about this event. I assume people probably wonder if there is something in this novel that motivated the man to kill John Lennon. Although people are probably against The Catcher in the Rye because of this, I don’t think it’s a fair judgment of the novel. First, the man was crazy, so anything could be blamed for the murder he committed. Also, I think that every book has both positive and negative aspects in it. I look forward to reading The Catcher in the Rye and wonder what I will think of it when I read it?

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