Holden thinks that the true "identity" of adults can be seen while they are asleep, while children are innocent and have nothing to hide. Sometimes, after my mom goes through a rough day at work, she falls asleep on the couch while I eat dinner. She snores pretty loudly, so its kind of hard for me to concentrate on eating with her loud snoring in the background. This instance made me connect to Holden's thought on adults, and in a way, I agree with him. He also seems pretty relaxed when he watches Phoebe sleep, which I can relate with as well. I don't have younger siblings, but I enjoy watching my dogs sleep, especially in the evening. I don't know why, but it really calms me down.
In my opinion, I think Holden feels more calm in the presence of children instead of adults, which, at this point of the book, is quite clear. Do you think that Holden turns to the youth to seek tranquility from his lonely world? Or do you think he relies on Phoebe specifically, his only sibling, for comfort?
Stuart, I agree with you and I think that Holden feels at peace when he is around his sister. You can see this because when he gets home, before he wakes her up, he immerses himself in her room. He picks up all her stuff and goes through it. Then he watches her sleep for a while. This is similar to the National Museum. Before talking to her, he stops and looks for a while, and for that instance everything looks like it is in a glass box at the museum. I think that Holden likes children because almost all of them act the same. This provides an anchor in Holden's new adult life. I think he also likes children because they remind him of Allie. Youth would also remind of his own untroubled youth. I think for Holden, it is the general idea of youth that calms him, not just Phoebe.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Holden finds comfort in all children. Sometimes, it's simply observing them and their childish habits that makes him feel better or not as depressed. For example, after he helps a little girl tighten her skate he thinks, "God, I love it when a kid's nice and polite when you tighten their skate for them or something," (119). Also, when he sees a little boy walking in the street, "singing for the hell of it," oblivious to his surroundings, Holden feels better (115). This suggests that Holden feels less depressed when he sees any child, whether related to him or not. But, he naturally feels more comfortable with Phoebe versus a random kid, and that is why he talks to her about his true feelings.
ReplyDeleteI think that Holden feels calm and less lonely when he is around children in general not just his sister Phoebe. Through out the book there have been many instances where Holden watches children and thinks to himself that he no longer feels as lonely or depressed. One example is when he sees the little boy walking on the curb. The little boy "...made [Holden] feel not so depressed any more" (115). Therefore, I do not think that only Phoebe makes Holden feel in a better state of mind.
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