She was a Pretty Spooky Kid

In Catcher in the Rye, Holden says “It’s no fun to be yellow. Maybe I’m not all yellow. I don’t know. I think maybe I’m just partly yellow and partly the type that doesn’t give a damn if they lose their gloves.” When Holden states he’s yellow, he means he’s a coward. Holden thinks he is this tough kid but once he starts thinking about confronting the guy, who stole his gloves, he tells us he is a coward. He is using a type of juxtaposition by saying he is this tough kid and he can put up a fight but then he calls himself yellow and tells us he has lost every fight he has been in. Additionally, he shows his yellowness when the prostitute arrives because he is very nervous and can’t get himself to do anything with her. As the night goes on, Holden starts to feel sorry for her and starts to imagine the life of a prostitute.

Prostitution can be known as one of the oldest professions. Women who were widowed or not married could trade sex for other necessities. Prostitution have the same way of life as most people, but they just have a job not everyone approves of. They all have bosses, who can be called “pimps”. Pimps take care of the girls and set them up with guys to sell themselves to. They can be guys and girls. Usually, prostitution is a second job, for the prostitute to make more money. There are two types of prostitutes, high class escort and a regular prostitute. A high class escort is a more expensive prostitute that does everything a prostitute does but doesn’t wear all the makeup and looks more presentable to people when going to a nice party or such. She can have about two clients a day and doesn’t have to work everyday of the week. The clients choose where to meet, and some are in it just for sex. Most of the ones in it for sex go to a hotel room. Some high class escorts choose to talk for a little bit before they have sex, but some don’t. Regular prostitutes are very similar to high class escorts, but regular prostitutes’ prices are lower. They usually don’t care what they look like or what they wear.

In the movie Pretty Woman, it gives you the experience of a high class escort.  

Holden has a lot of respect for all women. He shows this by being afraid of taking anything too far. Also, Holden tells us he feels bad for the girls when they tell him to stop, and he actually stops because he does not know if they really want him to stop or not. Although he tells us that he doesn’t go far with a girl because she says stop, we can read it as Holden’s yellow feelings towards become an adult. 
Why does Holden ask for a prostitute if he knows he respects women too much to do anything with them? Has Holden really gotten close to going far with a girl as he says he has? Explain how you know. Holden says he wonders if when prostitutes go to the store people know if they are prostitutes or not. Do you think you can point out a prostitute from a person who is not a prostitute? How?

"She was interested in that kind of stuff."

Chapter 11: Madison Frandina

“She was interested in that kind of stuff.”

       This line allows us to finally get insight in what Holden has been yearning for the whole book. In this sentence his sarcasm almost completely vanishes, and we are able to see what he needs. All Holden wants is someone who cares and could possibly tear down the wall he puts up. Someone he can talk to about anything to everything that pops into his head. Whether it is about checkers or showing Jane Allie’s baseball mitt, all Holden wants is an ear. Throughout Catcher and the Rye, we see him search for one again. He tries to get Spencer, a prostitute, Ackley, and even a cab driver to hear what is going on in his messed up mind. However, he cannot find a Jane. Someone who has also experienced emotional heartache and is “interested in that kind of stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtAGQTKC89Q

Get up, get out, get away from these liars

'Cause they don't get your soul or your fire

Take my hand, knot your fingers through mine

And we'll walk from this dark room for the last time

Every minute from this minute now

We can do what we like anywhere

I want so much to open your eyes

          'Cause I need you to look into mine

This song by Snow Patrol has lyrics that relate directly to Chapter 11. All Holden wants is for someone to open their eyes, and just look into his. He wants someone to realize how much sorrow Holden holds. He just wants someone to notice. Also since Holden thinks all adults are phonys and liars the first line of lyrics above is saying he just wants someone like Jane who is not fake to relate to him. Finally, the third like talking about holding hands describes how Holden and Jane act. A simple gesture of holding hands allows them to escape a “dark room” and be there for each other. Do you think he allows people to destroy the wall or that people just never open their eyes and see he needs another Jane in his life?

Ducks in Central Park (Chapter 12)

            In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield constantly entertains the question of where the ducks in the Central Park Lagoon go during the winter. Holden first provides a remark about the ducks in chapter 2 and then further recalls the question about the ducks throughout the novel. Ducks in the Central Park Lagoon always seem to be in the back of Holden’s mind; the concept that he cannot seem to figure out where the ducks go is constantly picking at him. In chapter 12, Holden takes a liking toward Horwitz, an ill-tempered cab driver, and decides to ask the cab driver where the ducks in the Central Park Lagoon go when the water freezes over. Horwitz replies, “How the hell should I know?” Caulfield continues to ask the question to the cab driver, who increasingly becomes more and more volatile and angry with Holden. The ensuing argument prompts the reader take note of the chapter, as it is perplexing as to why Holden wants to know the answer so bad, while it is also notable that Horwitz is so ill tempered with the subject. Perhaps J.D. Salinger used the argument as a foreshadowing for the importance of ducks throughout The Catcher in the Rye, and confused the reader through the odd argument, thus propelling the reader to take extra note of the section. Also, considering the fact that half of chapter 12 consisted of were ducks go in the winter, there must be significance behind the symbol.

            Holden could see himself in the ducks place; like the ducks, a harsh environment surrounds him, and the ducks continuously change places, like Holden is continuously changing. Holden also could see comfort in the ducks, as Holden may not know where the ducks are headed to or what awaits the ducks on their journey, but there is a certainty that they will end up back in the same lagoon in Central Park. Holden is in a confusing and commotional world where uncertainty surrounds him, and thus a thirst for certainty is seen through his deep inquiry about the ducks. Holden asked Horwitz about the ducks, “Do you happen to know where they go in the wintertime, by any chance?” Holden is always looking for a concrete answer; he is essentially waiting for Horwitz to give him a definitive answer. However, no one Holden has asked knows where the ducks go in the winter, just as Holden does not know where he is going in life in the near or distant future.

                                       

             Though Holden may not have an answer to where the ducks in Central Park go, the official website of Central Park perhaps does know, and what it says may put some of the factual content in The Catcher in the Rye on “thin ice.” The article in fact says that ducks often don’t migrate during the winter and that they can be seen all year long. Too bad Holden Caulfield didn’t have the Internet!

Why do you think Holden has such an interest in the ducks? Do you think the ducks and Holden have parallels? Is there perhaps a reason J.D. Salinger made Holden so interested in where ducks travel, yet the ducks never actually leave? Do you think the ducks represent something else? 

Growing Up- Ch. 10

In ch. 10, we see a new glimpse of Holden's disgust of growing up. "The one ugly one, Laverne, kept kidding me because I was only drinking cokes. She had a sterling sense of humor. She and old Marty were drinking Tom Collinses-in the middle of December, for God's sake. They didn't know any better." The phrase, "They didn't know any better" sticks. This really brings new light to Holden's belief that the adult world is full of phonies. Apart from that, he is acting as a critic, judging them based upon their choice of drink during December, even though he probably knows very little about it.

A Tom Collins is an alcoholic drink consisting gin, lemon juice, sugar and carbonated water. Typically, it is garnished with a maraschino cherrie or a lemon slice and is served over ice in a collins glass. It originated in New York and by 1878 it was con
sidered a favorite drink of everyone.

Why Holden decides to go on a limb and tell us about his thoughts about people drinking Tom Collinses in December is beyond my judgement. His reservations about growing up dont really correlate with his uncanny will to critique every single adult in a way that only someone with experience would. He already drinks and smokes, yet he seems to be hesitant do delve any further into adult hood.

Treating Elders With Respect

One event that intrigues me in this chapter is when Jane's stepfather, Mr. Cudahy, asks Jane for a cigarette. While you are supposed to treat elders with respect, Jane chooses to ignore him, not once, but twice. He then walks back into the house without a cigarette. I am intrigued by this because in most cases you are supposed to treat your elders with respect and be courteous to them, especially your own parents. In my life my parents taught me to treat everyone who is older than me with respect because they have more experience then me. I was always taught to say yes ma'am and yes sir whenever an elder talked to me. Later, she starts to tear up when Holden, who recognizes that she is a little shell shocked, comes over to her to comfort her. Later as Holden is going to a movie with Jane he asks her if Mr. Cudahy ever got wise with her. She said no though and we are left with the question, is she telling the truth or not? This passage shows that there is more going on in Jane's life than we think and the fact that Holden picked up on her disappointment shows that he is aware of his surroundings and how she is feeling. Why doesn't Jane respond to her step-father? Why does Holden ask if Mr. Cudahy got wise with her? What does wise mean? And should you always respect your elders?

Allusions: El Morocco

In chapter 10, Holden is annoyed at the fact that the three women he met in the Lavender Room "kept looking all around the goddam room, like as if they expected a flock of goddam movie stars" (page 73). However, Holden knows that the Lavender Room is not a place to expect movie stars to come in to. Instead, Holden thinks movie stars belong in the night club, El Morocco.

El Morocco, was built in 1931 by an Italian immigrant named John Perona with Martín de Alzaga. After prohibition was repealed, time period when  the United States banned alcohol which was from 1920 to 1933, El Morocco became a place of fashionable society with its regular clientele of politicians and entertainers. Photographs taken by Jerome Zerbe in the next morning's paper made it known to the public where the stars had been the night before because of the well known zebra-striped motif in the background. These pictures let the people know El Morocco was the place to be. By adding allusions to the novel, J.D. Salinger gave us a time period without telling us what it was. Why do you think he used allusions, such as El Morocco, rather than telling us an exact time period? What role do allusions have in this novel? Are they important? Explain. 

Kill the Cliche!!!!!

The following paragraph is full of cliches.  Re-write the paragraph to eliminate the cliche--remember specifics, the concrete, and the unexpected or strange are great weapons against cliche. 

In this day and age, good teachers are few and far between. My deepest, darkest secret is my desire to be one of those teachers - one that is worth her weight in gold, who works her fingers to the bone, hand in hand with students to prepare them to meet the trials and tribulations of life.