A Review of Passages in The Catcher in the Rye, a Novel by J. D. Salinger

The first quote I chose happens in the beginning of chapter two, when Holden is at Spencer’s house: “Some game. Ifyou get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then it’s a game, all right – I’ll admit that. But ifyou get on the other side, where there aren’t any hot- shots, then what’s a game about it? Nothing, No game. ” Although this isn‘t actual dialogue between Holden and Mr. Spencer, this thought of Holden’s is prompted by Mr.

Spencer‘s remarks about life being a game in the first place I chose this quote because it starts to propel the cynicism that clearly dominates Holden’s thoughts Although Holden seems to have respect for the teacher, he does not want to listen to what his old teacher has to say, and abruptly leaves when confronted about his future. This action of Holden suggests that he may live in denial that other people actually care about him.

Holden’s commentary suggests that he believes Mri Spencer to be cruel and vindictive, but Mri Spencer‘s actions do not reflect that of Holden’s thoughts I also chose this quote because it provides insight into Holden‘s perception of other people. He clearly feels inferior to those around him. The second passage 1 have chosen is actually a scene that occurs toward the end of chapter six, Stradlater comes home from his date and starts criticizing Holden for not writing his paper correctly. Holden then provokes Stradlater by smoking, and they start to argue about Stradlater’s date.

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This eventually leads to a physical fight, and at one point, Stradlater has Holden pinned down and he warns him to stop running his mouth, to which Holden replies, “.,.That’sjust the trouble with all you morons. You never want to discuss anything. That’s the wayyou can always tell a moron. They never want to discuss anything intellig-” Stradlater punches Holden in the face before he can finish.

I chose this passage because it highlights the contrast between Holden and Stradlater in terms of character. While both of them appear to be headstrong, Holden‘s charged personality comes more from his defensiveness. He is clearly upset that Stradlater took Jane out on a date, who is a person Holden used to spend a great amount of time with and admires greatly. He is also defensive over the paper he wrote, which is about Allie’s baseball glove and holds a significant amount of meaning to Holden, I also chose this passage because I found it surprising that Holden would continually call Stradlater a moron, considering how much he bottles up his negative opinions, Both of these passages relate because they each highlight the evasive and sardonic nature of Holden. In the first passage, Holden refuses to hear Mrr Spencer out as he does not want to listen to his concerns or critique. In the second passage, Holden is incredibly bitter and defensive about the paper he wrote, as well as the fact that Stradlater took Jane out on a date Each passage ties into the importance of the novel as a whole, as they further create the development of Holden’s character. These passages also relate to theme of isolation that Holden feels.