When Holden sneaks back home to visit Phoebe, he asks her what time their parents will be back. Would you say there is any indication that Holden would want to be caught by his parents? Why or why not? Use evidence from the text.
At the beginning of chapter 21 when Holden enters his house, he is extremely cautious. He doesn’t want to get caught by his parents and he does not want them to know that he was ever there. This is shown on page 162, when Holden nervously asks his sister what time his parents will be home. Holden doesn't want to be seen by his parents in order to avoid having to explain his situation and why he is home early.
As his conversation with Phoebe goes on, Holden begins to loosen up, gradually caring less and less about whether he gets caught. This is shown on page 163 with Holden saying: “I mean I finally quit worrying about whether they’d catch me home or not. I figured the hell with it. If they did, they did.”
Holden completely changes perspective by the end of chapter 23, going as far as saying that in a way, he hoped that his parents would find him, on page 180.
I think that when it came time to actually leaving to go see Mr Antolini, Holden would have rather his parents find him so that he could finally quit running away. He has been on his own hiding for so long that it would have been such a relief for him to finally put an end to it. Even though getting caught means that Holden would be forced to tell his parents about getting kicked out of Pencey, once that conversation would be over, Holden would finally be free and would be able to live life normally. Holden is really just praying for the terrible nightmare that he is living to be over with, so that he can move on with his life.
At the beginning of Chapter 21, Holden is very careful; not making any noise and walking quietly to Phoebe’s room (and then to D.B.’s room). He wakes her up and whispers since he doesn’t want to get caught by his parents. When Phoebe says that “they won’t be home till very late”, Holden attempts to ask her what time that is but continuously gets cut off as seen on page 162 and 163. Him questioning her demonstrates his anxiety with the thought that his parents might return in any minute and that he’d then have to explain his presence.
When Phoebe finally replies, Holden relaxes. He “finally quits worrying about whether they’d catch him home or not.” He even thought to himself “....the hell with it. If they did, they did.” This paragraph found on page 163 demonstrates slightly his wish to be caught. Holden doesn’t want to worry anymore. He doesn’t want to be bothered by the time that his parents would come home or what would happen if they found him there. Subconsciously, he wants his troubles to be over.
Holden shows his fear of getting caught once again at the very beginning of chapter 23 on page 174 when he makes a phone call to Mr. Antolini: “I made it very snappy on the phone because I was afraid my parents would barge right in the middle of it.” Even though Holden wants his problems to disappear, he must face the consequences. That is what he dreads the most and is probably the reason why he hides in the closet while his mom enters the room to say goodnight to Phoebe. It’s probably one of the reasons why he plans on running away too.
Finally, when exiting his house at the end of chapter 23 on page 180, Holden clearly wishes that he got caught: “For one thing, I didn’t give much of a damn any more if they caught me. I really didn’t. I figured if they caught me, they caught me. I almost wished they did, in a way.”
Throughout the novel, Holden says one thing and does another. In this case, he supposedly “doesn’t give a damn” about getting caught, but ends up shying away when the front door opens. His fear of the consequences holds him back from having the courage to face his parents and tell them what happened. That is why Holden wishes to be caught; he’d have no choice but to tell them. To conclude, there are indicators that Holden wants to be caught.
There are other explanations to why Holden would be afraid of getting caught at the beginning of the book. On page 51, Holden worries about telling his parents that he dropped out of Pencey Prep. He says "I figured my parents probably wouldn't get old Thurmer's letter saying I'd been given the ax till maybe Tuesday or Wednesday. I didn't want to go home or anything till they got it and thoroughly digested it and all." (51) This proves Kaitlen's hypothesis that Holden is afraid to face the consequences of his actions. If Holden's parents were to catch him at home before receiving the letter of Holden's expulsion, then he would have no choice but to man up and confess his failure to his parents.
Although, another reason Holden may be afraid to tell his parents about his failure would be because of his mother's current state. Holden explains on page 51 that is mother "gets very hysterical" due to Allie's premature death. On page 155, when Holden is picturing his own funeral he tells the reader that he would feel sorry for his parents, especially his mother because "she still isn't over" (155) the death of his brother Allie. Any shock would be detrimental to her health because she wouldn't be able to handle the news. Holden dropping out of school can be compared to him dying, in a sense, because him giving up on school can be seen as him giving up on life, and having no future.
Kaitlen's idea that Holden says one thing but then does something completely different points out how Holden reacts to situations such as the one given. Holden will cower when faced with the reality of the situation but will present himself with confidence when not confronting it. The point that Kaitlen makes by this is very important because it shows how Holden attempts to make himself seem more mature and brave to the reader. This shows us how Holden is an unreliable narrator because everything he tells the reader is miscoonstrewed by his opinions on the matter.
One quarrel I have with Kaitlen's post is that I disagree with her stating that Holden wanted to be caught by his parents. As stated above, Holden could hav simply been trying to impress readers with his brave thoughts.
Overall, although I disagree with a portion of what Kaitlen posted, her ideas bring up interesting character traits that Holden possesses which I agree with and believe to be true.
Kaylie assessed the situation quite accurately. As we all know very well by now, Holden has a knack for hating and loving things at the same time and never fails to contradict himself. Although he is quite afraid of the idea of him seeing his parents and having to explain his presence and expulsion from Pency, he is half hoping they will catch him.
Looking deep, they are his parents in the end. And naturally, the microscopically small, loving part of him would like to see them, as Kaylie assumes.
He fears the consequences and explanation if he sees them, though has a certain longing and rebellious side that wants to see them. Well put, Kaylie.
POST#3 QUESTION#10 When Holden first enters the house, he is very watchful for his parents to wake up. At this point, he really wants to talk to Pheobe rather than explaining expulsion from Pencey Prep. As he finds Pheobe, he becomes aware of the fact that his parents weren’t home, and questions her. During his inquiry, Pheobe constantly interrupts him with personal incidents she had wanted to tell him. When she finally answers him, Holden realizes he didn’t have to worry since his parents weren’t to come home early. He also realizes how he isn’t even able to talk to Pheobe serenely, at the cause of the cover up of his expulsion. This leads to his thought near the end of the chapter where he states’..I didn’t give much of a damn any more if they caught me, they caught me. I almost wished they did, in a way.’ (p.180) He wants to get past the trouble and back to his habitual manner of not caring and worrying about his actions or getting caught.
I agree with everyone because I'm such an understanding piece of work from God, you know?
I think that it's very important to point out how hypocritical he is once faced with a situation. Like Kaitlen said, he will lead himself to believe one thing and react completely differently when actually confronted with the situation. I agree with George, that he did not want to get caught. But I think he truly believed that he did at one point, it wouldnt be a surprise with the way his thought process is.
However, I would like to give my own imput. The side of Holden that I don't look down upon and think is completely disfunctional and that I would diagnose with a mental disorder if I was qualified. I think this is the closest Holden's ever felt to being at ease with someone, and being at home. I think he did slightly mean it when he said "I don't care if I get caught at this point." Pheobe brings out a side of Holden that we don't get to see very often in the book. An understanding, somewhat outgoing and expressive Holden( and by expressive I don't mean expressing his hatred for phonies, there is plenty of that!) that reveals how humain he is.
This leads me to realize that he isn't so different from the other characters in the book. He does have a unique perception of the world around him and has immense difficulty relating to anyone or anything within it. It's there, though. People are still people and essential we can be broken down to the same basics. Take Holden as a criminal, for example. Yes, their acts are against society's morals and an ordinary person doesn't think or behave the way they do. Although a part of them is just like ours, and they do have a small capacity to relate with certain people on a very profound level. There is always a kind heart burried deep within their chest and the potential to bring it out. I truly believe in that. I think you just need the right people and the right methods to help do so. Pheobe is the closest thing to help Holden has ever gotten and I'm happy that he did get to experience comfort in a way.
I think that Holden doesn’t want to be caught by his parents, because he is afraid; not of them but of what they think of him... He is scared of their opinion and he feels he is constantly letting them down... and so he tries to regain himself and you see that a few times in the book, but to have to come face to face with them would be too hard, and so he hides from them.
The first sighting in the book of a sense of fear would have to be on page 1 where he explains “and in the second place, my parents would have about two what is a hemorrhage apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them.” And so as oppose to being his normal self and telling it like it is, he limits himself because he is scared of his parent’s reaction or because he is trying to regain some lost confidence from his parents.
Then there is before the beginning of the book “to my mother” now if Holden is indeed the author of the book he is commemorating the book to his mother because he want to show her that he can actually do something properly without fail. But you realize it’s not to my parents but rather to my mother and that’s because usually a mother is more forgiving.
Then there is the quote that probably sparked this question page 163 “I mean I finally quit worrying about whether they’d catch me home or not. I figured to hell with it. If they did they did.” Which could just confirm my theory because he in a sense wants to be caught, he is hoping that should he see his parents they will try to comfort him and give him some sort of love. At least his mother will...
RESPONSE #3 to Kaylie’s post I agree with Kaylie when she says that Holden wanted to be caught by his parents so he could finally stop running away, because that’s what Holden does. When his problems threaten to become so complicated that Holden has to face them and can no longer push them away, he runs. He runs from his problems, his responsibilities and from common sense. At the beginning, when he was visiting Phoebe, he was afraid, but as he loosened up it looked as if he wanted to be caught. At first, it looks like the usual hypocrisy Holden displays, but when the reader looks into it, an entirely different yet plausible theory comes into view. As a child, Holden was deprived of proper love and affection from his parents. The death of one of their children at a young age affected them so deeply and emotionally (which is natural), but they didn’t stop to realize what the effect was on their other children. When Holden needed his parents the most, they were tending to their own emotional wounds. Holden was left alone to fend for himself, and deal his grief on his own. Maybe visiting Phoebe at night with the possibility of getting caught was what Holden wanted to prove to himself that his parents still cared about him. Holden has also finally come to the realization that he needs to face his issues. As Kaylie mentioned, Holden would rather have his parents find him and force him to deal with his problems than let him deal with them himself, because Holden knows he will never have what it takes to bring himself to do it alone. -Faria
I agree with Justin that Holden is scared to come face to face with his parents because he feels he’s constantly letting them down. Most teenage boys who were running away from school because they flunked out and didn't want to face their parents just yet would very likely choose to retreat to a good friend's house for a few days. Holden on the other hand doesn’t really want to go home but he has no other choice because he has no friends he can stay with or turn too. He only considers his sister as his real friend. It is clear early on that Holden is for lack of a better word a “loner” with the pressure of his parents riding with him through his entire life.
Response #3 to Justin’s post I agree with Justin’s comment on Holden being afraid of his parents opinion of him. The feelings of constantly letting them down must worry him. The quote he used: page 163 “I mean I finally quit worrying about whether they’d catch me home or not. I figured to hell with it. If they did they did.” Was very important because that showed that Holden was done worrying about they thought of him. A little part inside him wanted them to find out and wanted them to be supportive so that they could become a family again.
In hopes of not repeating what Kaylie or Nikki have said, I’ll try to keep my response short. I will start off by saying that yes, I do agree with Kaylie Post completely; she understood that Holden doesn’t want to be caught by his parents for certain reasons. Those reasons are that he had been kicked out of his school and his parents weren’t aware of it yet but also that he would have to go to a new school, again. Holden wants to know when his parents will be home to avoid having an awkward run-in but also because he doesn’t want the responsibility of having to tell his parents the bad news. So to conclude, no, Holden doesn’t want to secretly run into his parents; because if something like that had happened to me, I would avoid my parents.
Response 2 to Kaylie I agree with Kaylie's post on how Holden just wants to move on with his life and get out of all the chaos and confusion. Holden has been going many problems during his teenage years and we even through all those hard times at the end of chapter 26 we see Holden is planning to go back to school. Even though he has been kicked out of many schools he still willing to take on another and give it a try. This shows how Holden still has hope inside of him and how getting caught by his parents was already big step toward success already. Starting fresh into a new school with a new environment is great for Holden and eventually he will find one where he could settle in and really take his school studies to a whole new level of intensity. Then his brain will wake up from its long dormant state of failing. Holden's change of perspective as Kaylie has stated, can also mean that Holden has given up on rebelling against society. This quote indicates that at that moment Holden did want to get caught "I mean I finally quit worrying about whether they'd catch me home or not. I figured the hell with it. If they did, they did". He didn't care because he realises there's no point in running anymore just get it over with. -Christopher Wong
Kaylie brings up important explanations on Holden’s feelings about coming home. When entering his house, he does everything to ensure that he does not wake up his parents. We get a sense that he fears what will happen next after he sneaks in. “Wait a second, willya?... Did they say what time they’d be back, or didn’t they?”(p.163) , is a question that Holden repeats a few times nervously, which in turn shows that he wants to avoid seeing his parents and therefore, avoid explaining his situation at Pencey. After Phoebe explains that their parents will not be home until very late at night, Holden is relieved and soon after, begins to act like he somewhat wants to be caught by his parents. By the end of the visit, as Kaylie states, he completely changed his attitude and hopes to be seen by his parents. At this point, Holden is tired of running away from his problems, associated with either schooling, relationships or basically every aspect in his life. Holden is scared of the world outside and fears change. He seeks security in telling his parents about his expulsion even if it means dealing with the consequences.
Post #3, Question #10
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of chapter 21 when Holden enters his house, he is extremely cautious. He doesn’t want to get caught by his parents and he does not want them to know that he was ever there. This is shown on page 162, when Holden nervously asks his sister what time his parents will be home. Holden doesn't want to be seen by his parents in order to avoid having to explain his situation and why he is home early.
As his conversation with Phoebe goes on, Holden begins to loosen up, gradually caring less and less about whether he gets caught. This is shown on page 163 with Holden saying: “I mean I finally quit worrying about whether they’d catch me home or not. I figured the hell with it. If they did, they did.”
Holden completely changes perspective by the end of chapter 23, going as far as saying that in a way, he hoped that his parents would find him, on page 180.
I think that when it came time to actually leaving to go see Mr Antolini, Holden would have rather his parents find him so that he could finally quit running away. He has been on his own hiding for so long that it would have been such a relief for him to finally put an end to it. Even though getting caught means that Holden would be forced to tell his parents about getting kicked out of Pencey, once that conversation would be over, Holden would finally be free and would be able to live life normally. Holden is really just praying for the terrible nightmare that he is living to be over with, so that he can move on with his life.
Post #3 Question #10
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of Chapter 21, Holden is very careful; not making any noise and walking quietly to Phoebe’s room (and then to D.B.’s room). He wakes her up and whispers since he doesn’t want to get caught by his parents. When Phoebe says that “they won’t be home till very late”, Holden attempts to ask her what time that is but continuously gets cut off as seen on page 162 and 163. Him questioning her demonstrates his anxiety with the thought that his parents might return in any minute and that he’d then have to explain his presence.
When Phoebe finally replies, Holden relaxes. He “finally quits worrying about whether they’d catch him home or not.” He even thought to himself “....the hell with it. If they did, they did.” This paragraph found on page 163 demonstrates slightly his wish to be caught. Holden doesn’t want to worry anymore. He doesn’t want to be bothered by the time that his parents would come home or what would happen if they found him there. Subconsciously, he wants his troubles to be over.
Holden shows his fear of getting caught once again at the very beginning of chapter 23 on page 174 when he makes a phone call to Mr. Antolini: “I made it very snappy on the phone because I was afraid my parents would barge right in the middle of it.” Even though Holden wants his problems to disappear, he must face the consequences. That is what he dreads the most and is probably the reason why he hides in the closet while his mom enters the room to say goodnight to Phoebe. It’s probably one of the reasons why he plans on running away too.
Finally, when exiting his house at the end of chapter 23 on page 180, Holden clearly wishes that he got caught: “For one thing, I didn’t give much of a damn any more if they caught me. I really didn’t. I figured if they caught me, they caught me. I almost wished they did, in a way.”
Throughout the novel, Holden says one thing and does another. In this case, he supposedly “doesn’t give a damn” about getting caught, but ends up shying away when the front door opens. His fear of the consequences holds him back from having the courage to face his parents and tell them what happened. That is why Holden wishes to be caught; he’d have no choice but to tell them. To conclude, there are indicators that Holden wants to be caught.
RESPONSE #3 to Kaitlen Gattuso's post
ReplyDeleteThere are other explanations to why Holden would be afraid of getting caught at the beginning of the book. On page 51, Holden worries about telling his parents that he dropped out of Pencey Prep. He says "I figured my parents probably wouldn't get old Thurmer's letter saying I'd been given the ax till maybe Tuesday or Wednesday. I didn't want to go home or anything till they got it and thoroughly digested it and all." (51) This proves Kaitlen's hypothesis that Holden is afraid to face the consequences of his actions. If Holden's parents were to catch him at home before receiving the letter of Holden's expulsion, then he would have no choice but to man up and confess his failure to his parents.
Although, another reason Holden may be afraid to tell his parents about his failure would be because of his mother's current state. Holden explains on page 51 that is mother "gets very hysterical" due to Allie's premature death. On page 155, when Holden is picturing his own funeral he tells the reader that he would feel sorry for his parents, especially his mother because "she still isn't over" (155) the death of his brother Allie. Any shock would be detrimental to her health because she wouldn't be able to handle the news. Holden dropping out of school can be compared to him dying, in a sense, because him giving up on school can be seen as him giving up on life, and having no future.
-Patricia
Response #2 to Kaitlen's Post
ReplyDeleteKaitlen's idea that Holden says one thing but then does something completely different points out how Holden reacts to situations such as the one given. Holden will cower when faced with the reality of the situation but will present himself with confidence when not confronting it. The point that Kaitlen makes by this is very important because it shows how Holden attempts to make himself seem more mature and brave to the reader. This shows us how Holden is an unreliable narrator because everything he tells the reader is miscoonstrewed by his opinions on the matter.
One quarrel I have with Kaitlen's post is that I disagree with her stating that Holden wanted to be caught by his parents. As stated above, Holden could hav simply been trying to impress readers with his brave thoughts.
Overall, although I disagree with a portion of what Kaitlen posted, her ideas bring up interesting character traits that Holden possesses which I agree with and believe to be true.
George Roumeliotis
Response #1 to Kayie's Post...
ReplyDeleteKaylie assessed the situation quite accurately. As we all know very well by now, Holden has a knack for hating and loving things at the same time and never fails to contradict himself. Although he is quite afraid of the idea of him seeing his parents and having to explain his presence and expulsion from Pency, he is half hoping they will catch him.
Looking deep, they are his parents in the end. And naturally, the microscopically small, loving part of him would like to see them, as Kaylie assumes.
He fears the consequences and explanation if he sees them, though has a certain longing and rebellious side that wants to see them.
Well put, Kaylie.
-Nikki Marcolefas
POST#3 QUESTION#10
ReplyDeleteWhen Holden first enters the house, he is very watchful for his parents to wake up. At this point, he really wants to talk to Pheobe rather than explaining expulsion from Pencey Prep. As he finds Pheobe, he becomes aware of the fact that his parents weren’t home, and questions her. During his inquiry, Pheobe constantly interrupts him with personal incidents she had wanted to tell him. When she finally answers him, Holden realizes he didn’t have to worry since his parents weren’t to come home early. He also realizes how he isn’t even able to talk to Pheobe serenely, at the cause of the cover up of his expulsion. This leads to his thought near the end of the chapter where he states’..I didn’t give much of a damn any more if they caught me, they caught me. I almost wished they did, in a way.’ (p.180) He wants to get past the trouble and back to his habitual manner of not caring and worrying about his actions or getting caught.
I agree with everyone because I'm such an understanding piece of work from God, you know?
ReplyDeleteI think that it's very important to point out how hypocritical he is once faced with a situation. Like Kaitlen said, he will lead himself to believe one thing and react completely differently when actually confronted with the situation. I agree with George, that he did not want to get caught. But I think he truly believed that he did at one point, it wouldnt be a surprise with the way his thought process is.
However, I would like to give my own imput. The side of Holden that I don't look down upon and think is completely disfunctional and that I would diagnose with a mental disorder if I was qualified. I think this is the closest Holden's ever felt to being at ease with someone, and being at home. I think he did slightly mean it when he said "I don't care if I get caught at this point." Pheobe brings out a side of Holden that we don't get to see very often in the book. An understanding, somewhat outgoing and expressive Holden( and by expressive I don't mean expressing his hatred for phonies, there is plenty of that!) that reveals how humain he is.
This leads me to realize that he isn't so different from the other characters in the book. He does have a unique perception of the world around him and has immense difficulty relating to anyone or anything within it. It's there, though. People are still people and essential we can be broken down to the same basics. Take Holden as a criminal, for example. Yes, their acts are against society's morals and an ordinary person doesn't think or behave the way they do. Although a part of them is just like ours, and they do have a small capacity to relate with certain people on a very profound level. There is always a kind heart burried deep within their chest and the potential to bring it out. I truly believe in that. I think you just need the right people and the right methods to help do so. Pheobe is the closest thing to help Holden has ever gotten and I'm happy that he did get to experience comfort in a way.
Post #3 Question #10
ReplyDeleteI think that Holden doesn’t want to be caught by his parents, because he is afraid; not of them but of what they think of him... He is scared of their opinion and he feels he is constantly letting them down... and so he tries to regain himself and you see that a few times in the book, but to have to come face to face with them would be too hard, and so he hides from them.
The first sighting in the book of a sense of fear would have to be on page 1 where he explains “and in the second place, my parents would have about two what is a hemorrhage apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them.” And so as oppose to being his normal self and telling it like it is, he limits himself because he is scared of his parent’s reaction or because he is trying to regain some lost confidence from his parents.
Then there is before the beginning of the book “to my mother” now if Holden is indeed the author of the book he is commemorating the book to his mother because he want to show her that he can actually do something properly without fail. But you realize it’s not to my parents but rather to my mother and that’s because usually a mother is more forgiving.
Then there is the quote that probably sparked this question page 163 “I mean I finally quit worrying about whether they’d catch me home or not. I figured to hell with it. If they did they did.” Which could just confirm my theory because he in a sense wants to be caught, he is hoping that should he see his parents they will try to comfort him and give him some sort of love. At least his mother will...
~ Justin
RESPONSE #3 to Kaylie’s post
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kaylie when she says that Holden wanted to be caught by his parents so he could finally stop running away, because that’s what Holden does. When his problems threaten to become so complicated that Holden has to face them and can no longer push them away, he runs. He runs from his problems, his responsibilities and from common sense. At the beginning, when he was visiting Phoebe, he was afraid, but as he loosened up it looked as if he wanted to be caught. At first, it looks like the usual hypocrisy Holden displays, but when the reader looks into it, an entirely different yet plausible theory comes into view. As a child, Holden was deprived of proper love and affection from his parents. The death of one of their children at a young age affected them so deeply and emotionally (which is natural), but they didn’t stop to realize what the effect was on their other children. When Holden needed his parents the most, they were tending to their own emotional wounds. Holden was left alone to fend for himself, and deal his grief on his own. Maybe visiting Phoebe at night with the possibility of getting caught was what Holden wanted to prove to himself that his parents still cared about him. Holden has also finally come to the realization that he needs to face his issues. As Kaylie mentioned, Holden would rather have his parents find him and force him to deal with his problems than let him deal with them himself, because Holden knows he will never have what it takes to bring himself to do it alone.
-Faria
Response # 3 to Justin’s post
ReplyDeleteI agree with Justin that Holden is scared to come face to face with his parents because he feels he’s constantly letting them down. Most teenage boys who were running away from school because they flunked out and didn't want to face their parents just yet would very likely choose to retreat to a good friend's house for a few days. Holden on the other hand doesn’t really want to go home but he has no other choice because he has no friends he can stay with or turn too. He only considers his sister as his real friend. It is clear early on that Holden is for lack of a better word a “loner” with the pressure of his parents riding with him through his entire life.
Response #3 to Justin’s post
ReplyDeleteI agree with Justin’s comment on Holden being afraid of his parents opinion of him. The feelings of constantly letting them down must worry him. The quote he used: page 163 “I mean I finally quit worrying about whether they’d catch me home or not. I figured to hell with it. If they did they did.” Was very important because that showed that Holden was done worrying about they thought of him. A little part inside him wanted them to find out and wanted them to be supportive so that they could become a family again.
Response #1 to Kaylie's Post
ReplyDeleteIn hopes of not repeating what Kaylie or Nikki have said, I’ll try to keep my response short.
I will start off by saying that yes, I do agree with Kaylie Post completely; she understood that Holden doesn’t want to be caught by his parents for certain reasons. Those reasons are that he had been kicked out of his school and his parents weren’t aware of it yet but also that he would have to go to a new school, again. Holden wants to know when his parents will be home to avoid having an awkward run-in but also because he doesn’t want the responsibility of having to tell his parents the bad news. So to conclude, no, Holden doesn’t want to secretly run into his parents; because if something like that had happened to me, I would avoid my parents.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteResponse 2 to Kaylie
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kaylie's post on how Holden just wants to move on with his life and get out of all the chaos and confusion. Holden has been going many problems during his teenage years and we even through all those hard times at the end of chapter 26 we see Holden is planning to go back to school. Even though he has been kicked out of many schools he still willing to take on another and give it a try. This shows how Holden still has hope inside of him and how getting caught by his parents was already big step toward success already. Starting fresh into a new school with a new environment is great for Holden and eventually he will find one where he could settle in and really take his school studies to a whole new level of intensity. Then his brain will wake up from its long dormant state of failing.
Holden's change of perspective as Kaylie has stated, can also mean that Holden has given up on rebelling against society. This quote indicates that at that moment Holden did want to get caught "I mean I finally quit worrying about whether they'd catch me home or not. I figured the hell with it. If they did, they did". He didn't care because he realises there's no point in running anymore just get it over with.
-Christopher Wong
Response#1 to Kaylie’s post
ReplyDeleteKaylie brings up important explanations on Holden’s feelings about coming home. When entering his house, he does everything to ensure that he does not wake up his parents. We get a sense that he fears what will happen next after he sneaks in. “Wait a second, willya?... Did they say what time they’d be back, or didn’t they?”(p.163) , is a question that Holden repeats a few times nervously, which in turn shows that he wants to avoid seeing his parents and therefore, avoid explaining his situation at Pencey. After Phoebe explains that their parents will not be home until very late at night, Holden is relieved and soon after, begins to act like he somewhat wants to be caught by his parents. By the end of the visit, as Kaylie states, he completely changed his attitude and hopes to be seen by his parents. At this point, Holden is tired of running away from his problems, associated with either schooling, relationships or basically every aspect in his life. Holden is scared of the world outside and fears change. He seeks security in telling his parents about his expulsion even if it means dealing with the consequences.