Retell:
Holden goes in to Mr. Spencer's sickroom
to say goodbye. Mr. Spencer tries to lecture Holden by reminding his academic
failures and forcing him to listen to Holden's terrible essay. Mr. Spencer
convinces Holden to think about his future. Holden interrupts Spencer and
leaves. Holden sits and reads the book with his
hunting hat. Ackley barges in and starts to annoy him by cutting fingernails
and squeezing pimples. Ackley lives next door and has disgusting personal
habits. Holden contrasts Stradlater and Ackley on
their personal habits, showing Stradlater is a "secret slob".
Stradlater asks Holden to write a English composition for him. They talk about
Jane, the girl Stradlater dates with. Holden and his friends go to Agerstown to
see movie. Holden writes Allie into his composition, mentioning that Allie, his
brother, is nicest but dead from leukemia two years ago. Holden describes how
he breaks the window on the night Allie died. Stradlater is angry at Holden's
composition and refuses to talk about his date. Holden insults him and they fight. Holden talks with Ackley and sleeps in the
bed of Ackley's roommate. He cannot stop imagining Jane dating with Stradlater,
so he packs up and leaves the school in the midnight. He yells to the boys on
his floor before leaving.
Relate:
I think life is a game that people have to play by the rules. Everywhere around the world have its own rules. Playing by rules will keep me on track of my pathway to a better life. There might be some moments that I feel bitter about my life. I'm not good at dealing with family relationships. I remembered once I quarreled fiercely with my mom on the issue of what time should we go to bed. For me, as a young teenager, I demanded to go to bed later around eleven o'clock, but my mom considered more about my health by forcing me to go to bed at nine o'clock. I wouldn't even finish my homework at that time, so I argued and yelled loudly to her and even threw the cups to the ground. However, I was defeated by her stronger personality. I was so depressed like Holden, "I'd only been in about two fights in my life, and I lost both of them" (45). Holden lost the fight with his roommate while I lost on the debate with my mom. It's a kind of feeling that I can't put into words. Only at that time, I can feel the life bitter like Holden's feeling.
Reflect:
Interesting Questions:
1: Why does Holden become so angry when Stradlater refuses to talk about his date with Jane?
Jane is one of the few people that Holden treats with his true heart. Holden cannot think about Stradlater having sex with Jane because it ruined his feeling on Jane.
2: Why does Holden yell an insult to the boys in the hallway on his way out?
Holden feels good escaping from this phony environment and his yell is considered as an irony to the boys that are still surrounded by phonies. He is kind of laughing at those boys and tries to hide his loneliness.
Prediction:
Holden will probably indulge himself for a while because he is being so depressed and needs to release himself from the phonies arounded. Holden may experience something that will bring him either further breakdown or back to normal.
Media Component:
This is a picture about a person's loneliness and I think it has some sort of connections with Holden. As we can see, Holden is a lonely guy and his peers are not considered as him true friends. Allie's death and the phony external environment causes him to hide himself from others. Loneliness is a main part of Holden's personality.
Relate:
I think life is a game that people have to play by the rules. Everywhere around the world have its own rules. Playing by rules will keep me on track of my pathway to a better life. There might be some moments that I feel bitter about my life. I'm not good at dealing with family relationships. I remembered once I quarreled fiercely with my mom on the issue of what time should we go to bed. For me, as a young teenager, I demanded to go to bed later around eleven o'clock, but my mom considered more about my health by forcing me to go to bed at nine o'clock. I wouldn't even finish my homework at that time, so I argued and yelled loudly to her and even threw the cups to the ground. However, I was defeated by her stronger personality. I was so depressed like Holden, "I'd only been in about two fights in my life, and I lost both of them" (45). Holden lost the fight with his roommate while I lost on the debate with my mom. It's a kind of feeling that I can't put into words. Only at that time, I can feel the life bitter like Holden's feeling.
Reflect:
Holden's interacting with peers and teachers does not seem very
comfortable. Holden always criticize on the people around him. Holden describes
Pency as full of "phonies", including the headmaster. He doesn't want
to live in this kind of environment. Holden narrates the story in a cynical
voice to shows his strong negative feeling on his surroundings. His language keeps uncivilized by speaking rudely. Obviously, his language shows that he is immature and not ready to get into the cruel adult world. It is the hypocrisies and ugliness of the external world that drags him into the realistic adult world. He dreams that everybody in the world would be innocent and nice as his brother, Allie. However, his ideal world disappears as he gradually loses his innocence when facing the "phonies" around him. Holden tries to create a boundary that could keep him on the safe side when he interacts with people, and that boundary is Holden's lies. As a result, Holden becomes more lonely and depressed. The theme is that Holden's depression and
loneliness are not only caused by Allie's death and but also caused by the phonies around him.
Interesting Questions:
1: Why does Holden become so angry when Stradlater refuses to talk about his date with Jane?
Jane is one of the few people that Holden treats with his true heart. Holden cannot think about Stradlater having sex with Jane because it ruined his feeling on Jane.
2: Why does Holden yell an insult to the boys in the hallway on his way out?
Holden feels good escaping from this phony environment and his yell is considered as an irony to the boys that are still surrounded by phonies. He is kind of laughing at those boys and tries to hide his loneliness.
Prediction:
Holden will probably indulge himself for a while because he is being so depressed and needs to release himself from the phonies arounded. Holden may experience something that will bring him either further breakdown or back to normal.
Media Component:
This is a picture about a person's loneliness and I think it has some sort of connections with Holden. As we can see, Holden is a lonely guy and his peers are not considered as him true friends. Allie's death and the phony external environment causes him to hide himself from others. Loneliness is a main part of Holden's personality.
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