119 lines
7.2 KiB
Plaintext
119 lines
7.2 KiB
Plaintext
ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßÛßßßßßÛÛÜ ÜÜßßßßÜÜÜÜ ÜÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÛßß ßÛÛ
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ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛ ÜÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜ ßÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜÛÛÝ Ûß
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ßßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÞÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßßÛÜÞÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÞß
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Mo.iMP ÜÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ßÛß
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ß ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÜÜ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÛÛÜÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛ ßÛÛÛÛÛ Ü ÛÝÛÛÛÛÛ Ü
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ÜÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ßÛÜ ßÛÛÛÜÜ ÜÜÛÛÛß ÞÛ ÞÛÛÛÝ ÜÜÛÛ
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ÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÜÜÜß ÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛÛÛÛÛß
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ßÛÜ ÜÛÛÛß ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÜÜ ßßÜÛÛßß ßÛÛÜ ßßßÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ßßßßß ßßÛÛß ßßßßß ßßßßßßßßßßßßß
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ARRoGANT CoURiERS WiTH ESSaYS
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Grade Level: Type of Work Subject/Topic is on:
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[ ]6-8 [ ]Class Notes [Essay on The Catcher ]
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[ ]9-10 [ ]Cliff Notes [in the Rye's Holden ]
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[x]11-12 [x]Essay/Report [Caulfield ]
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[ ]College [ ]Misc [ ]
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Dizzed: 11/94 # of Words:986 School: ? State: ?
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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>Chop Here>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
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Holden Caulfield's Perception and Gradual
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Acceptance of the "Real" World.
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In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden views the world as an evil and
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corrupt place where there is no peace. This perception of the world does
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not change significantly through the novel. However as the novel
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progresses, Holden gradually comes to the realization that he is powerless
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to change this.
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During the short period of Holden's life covered in this book, "Holden
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does succeed in making us perceive that the world is crazy".1 Shortly
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after Holden leaves Pencey Prep he checks in to the Edmont Hotel. This is
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where Holden's turmoil begins. Holden spends the following evening in this
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hotel which was "full of perverts and morons. (There were) screwballs all
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over the place."2 His situation only deteriorates from this point on as the
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more he looks around this world, the more depressing life seems.
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Around every corner Holden sees evil. He looks out on a world which
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appears completely immoral and unscrupulous. The three days we learn of
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from the novel place a distressed Holden in the vicinity of Manhattan. The
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city is decked with decorations and holiday splendor, yet, much to Holden's
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despair "seldom yields any occasions of peace, charity or even genuine
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merriment."3 Holden is surrounded by what he views as drunks, perverts,
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morons and screwballs. These convictions which Holden holds waver very
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momentarily during only one particular scene in the book. The scene is
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that with Mr. Antolini. After Mr. Antolini patted Holden on the head while
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he was sleeping, Holden jumped up and ran out thinking that Mr. Antolini
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was a pervert as well. This is the only time during the novel where Holden
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thinks twice about considering someone as a pervert. After reviewing Mr.
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Antolini, Holden finally concludes that maybe he wasn't making a "flitty"
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pass at him. Maybe he just like patting guys heads as they sleep. This is
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really the only time in the novel where Holden actually considers a
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positive side. This event does not constitute a significant change. As
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Holden himself says, "It's not too bad when the sun's out, but the sun only
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comes out when it feels like coming out."4 The sun of course is a reference
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to decency through the common association of light and goodness. His
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perception of the world remains the same.
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The one conviction that does change during the novel is Holden's
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belief that he can change the world. On his date with Sally, Holden
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reveals his feelings. "Did you ever get fed up?... I mean did you ever get
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scared that everything was going to go lousy unless you did something..."5
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Holden goes through several plans. Holden at one point contemplates
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heading out west where he will pretend to be a deaf-mute and live a quiet
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life. At another point Holden proposes to Sally to escape this world with
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him. It is finally to his younger sister Phoebe that Holden reveals his
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ultimate plan. Although Holden describes the situation in a very
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picturesque and symbolic manner he essentially tells Phoebe that he wants
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to prevent children from growing up. He blames the world's corruption on
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adults and believes that when he stops the children from growing up he will
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preserve their innocence and save the world.
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It takes most of the book before Holden begins to realize that he is
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helpless to stop this corruption. Finally, he realizes that not only is
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there nothing that he can do, but there is nowhere he can go to hide from
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it. Holden takes awhile to comprehend these concepts. One good example is
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when Holden is delivering the note to his sister. He encounters a
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"fuck-you" written on the wall. Holden careful rubs this off with his hand
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so as to protect the innocent children from reading it. Later on he finds
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"fuck-you" scratched into the surface with a knife. He discovers that he
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can't efface this one. Even in the timeless peace of the Egyptian tomb
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room at the museum there is an un-erasable "fuck-you." This incident is
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the beginning of Holden's realization that his dreams are infeasible.6
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Ironically enough, it is one of the "innocent" children that he is
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trying to protect who helps him come to terms with this realization. It is
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Phoebe who challenges his plan to escape out west. As he is telling Phoebe
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that she can not run away, he discovers that he too can not run away. "You
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can't ever find a place that is nice and peaceful, because there isn't
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any."7
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The final break-down comes near the end of the book when he is
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watching Phoebe on the carousel.
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All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old
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Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she'd fall off the goddam horse, but I
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didn't say anything or do anything. The thing with kids is, if they want
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to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say
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anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say
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anything to them.8
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In the above passage from the novel, Holden hits the final breakdown.
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Being "the catcher" becomes obviously unrealistic. The gold rings are
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ironically not gold but really brass-plated iron. The gold rings are
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symbols of the corrupted world which always "wears" a shiny surface to hide
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its evil. It is at this point that Holden sees that he can not stop
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children from growing up and therefore losing their innocence. They will
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fall if they fall, there is nothing that can be done.
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Shortly after this point Holden has his nervous breakdown. His
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breakdown is due to this depressing realization that the world is corrupt
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and filled with evil. He knows now with a sickening certainty that he is
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powerless to stop both evil and maturation. As a matter of fact, it is
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"bad" to do so.
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