Catcher in the rye Flashcards
▪Holden says to the taxi driver..
▪️desperation for company
▪️on his way to the hotel
“Well - take me to the Edmont then, would you care to stop on the way and join me for a cocktail?”
▪️Holden starts this quote with a word that sets him aside from everyone else in the world.
▪️it also highlights Holden’s feeling of the world being against him and not beside him.
▪️this quote also gives Holden he believe that he is better than everybody else in this world.
▪️everybody fails to notice the phoniness where as he sees right through it.
“People never notice anything.”
▪️Holden picks up the usual critique of consumerism and greed as he believes the money cannot buy happiness.
▪️Holden has a wealthy background as he is able to go to a private school but this May have led to his alienation as he isn’t like the other phony people that go to these schools.
“Goddamn money. It always ends up making you blue as hell.”
▪️Holden’s inability to trust anyone after all the people close to him leaving (E.g; Allie)
▪️the trust that you have with one person will always be lost as Holden sees.
“Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.”
▪️this highlights Holden orientation to his present life.
▪️he runs from his feelings to avoid what may happen if he stops to examine them.
▪️more of an emotional choice than a rational comparison of one pain against another.
“I don’t even know what I was running for – I guess I just felt like it.”
▪️ informal language
▪️ start of the novel
▪️ indicates level of vulnerability
▪️ Holden is in need of counselling or support
▪️ creates an effective beginning to allow Salinger to successfully explore the circumstances in the novel.
“I’ll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around Christmas just before I got pretty run down and had to calm down and come out here to take it easy.”
