Socratic-Seminar questions

1. Why does Holden give Phoebe his red haunting hat at the end of chapter 23?
2. What do you think Holden meant by "the catcher in the rye?" Is this really his future?
3. WHat does Holden's point of view about his future and his life tell us about our society today?
4. Do you think Mr. Antolini, his teacher, really cares about Holden? Why does he invite him over?
5. Who made Holden think that his future is going to be on the field?

Answer:
1. As we already know, Holden likes Phoebe and he really cares about her. His red hunting hat reminds him of Allie and also it makes Holden feel very special. This hunting hat is very important for him and also the color red symbolizes love. THis is my opinion.

Lyrical Reaction

The song that I chose is "Not afraid" by Eminem. I think that this song is a reflection of Holden's inside world. Holden is very concerned about Phoebe and he thinks a lot about her. A connection that I found is that if Holden had the chance to go somewhere alone with Phoebe, he would. He would definitely take her away if he had this possibility. In this song, Eminem sends the same message: "We'll walk this road together, through the storm /Whatever weather, cold or warm /Just let you know that, you're not alone/ Holla if you feel that you've been down the same road.." As I read chapter 19 through 21, It was obvious how much Holden thinks about his sister. He even sneaks into his house in order to talk to her for a little bit.

Holden seems to be a very indifferent character. He doesn't care about anything. He is pessimistic and he doesn't like the world around him. In his song, Eminem has a really good connection with Holden's personality when he says: "What you think, I'm doing this for me, so *** the world/ Feed it beans, it's gassed up, if a thing's stopping me /I'mma be what I set out to be, without a doubt /undoubtedly.."

When Holden meets Luce, he is trying to ask him about sex, but Luce refuses to talk about this topic. Holden realized that he doesn't want to talk about it, even though he thinks that Luce is phony. He is not honest with Holden and it got him a little bit mad. Also, Holden is trying to figure out what is going on in his life, why is he so different from others, and why everything that happens it is not enjoyable. Eminem also has the idea of these qualities in his song: "There's a game called circle and I don't know how/I'm way too up to back down/But I think I'm still tryna figure this *** out/Thought I had it mapped out but I guess I didn't/This *** black cloud's still follow's me around/But it's time to exercise these demons/These *** are doing jumping jacks now!"

"Marriage"

True love is once in a lifetime,

It changes your heart, your feelings and it moves all the mountains.

When it comes, it never goes away,

It never fails, it is never jealous.

It is patient, it is gorgeous!

Love is an ultimate gift from your life.

The result of this real feeling is marriage.

After all tears full of love and all these messages from God,

It seems to be too good to be true,

But you know you should make this step.

It is going to happen when it is supposed to happen.

The wedding is the most beautiful part of the marriage.

It is so sweet and full of joy.

It is graceful.

The marriage is not possible without love,

It is not happy without love,

It is not real without love,

And definitely not growable.

It is all about waiting to find it,

And you'll know it was meant only for you.

It's like the wind,

You can't see it,

But you feel it,

You know it's there,

Only it won't stop,

It's forever.

Love knows your dreams,

Even though you will not realize it.

Marriage is going to be a part of your dream,

Near the ocean, near the mountain,

Near the wind and all the creations on the Earth,

Below the skies,

Around all the butterflies,

Underneath the air and you know it's fair.

It's true ,It's marriage.

Holden's religious point of view

I just wanted to write about Holden's religious view. It is very interesting how he also criticizes people from the bible. He doesn't really like those disciples because he thinks that they are tempted to make everything for Jesus . He likes Jesus, but he doesn't really believe in him. He read the Bible,but he affirms that he is on the atheist side. His dad is Catholic. Holden doesn't like this type of religion, even though he is not very religious person. Well, his dad wants him to be a Catholic, but Holden wouldn't make this step. He hates the thing that all Catholics are always trying to find out if you are Catholic or not. Holden's religious point of view is very naive. He thinks that people from the Bible are phony. Even here he thinks that. He is very innocent because he liked talking to religious people like those two nuns, but he doesn't really believe in God. I think that Holden is just really confused about religion and he doesn't have a lot of information about why people choose to believe in God.

Holden's innocence

"In the first place, I hate actors.They never act like people.They just think they do.Some of the good ones do,in a very slight way,but not in a way that's fun to watch.And if any actor's really good, you can always tell he knows he's good,and that spoils it. "

Holden Caulfield, page 117.

This quotation reflects on Holden's thoughts about people and in general about phoniness as well. In this book he can't stop thinking and analyzing the world around him. He hates people that are not true to themselves. One category of those kind of people are actors. With no doubts, Holden will have to dislike actors. They never act real, they are fake and they just think they act like people. Holden is basically saying that actors want not to be obvious that they are just acting for shows. There are some good actors that act natural but anyway it is not fun to watch them. And, also, good actors always know that they are really good, and this thing simulates the situation.

I think that this quotation symbolize his perspective in life. I think that he is actually watching shows to see how people are acting even there. Everyone around him is fake. I think that Holden wants to find his ideal person that he would like and enjoy to be around. This is sort of impossible in his life because nobody is perfect. People are very different and everybody has their own issues. Holden is looking for his identity. He is a teenager that has some issues with finding it though. He is saving everything he learns from shows, in order to criticize more and more people. He does care about everybody. He seems to be concerned about how people are acting, but he is not looking at himself.

This quotation tells everything about Holden if you look at it in depth. This teen is really a non-conformist. He criticizes actors, even though he doesn't know anything about them. How can you hate people that are intelligent and hard-working enough to act like different characters in different shows? Does Holden even know how hard and challenging it is?? Did he even try?? I am a little bit disgusted with his way of thinking. This quotation made me realize how innocent he is. This is why i chose this quotation and I also think it is important.

Chapters 9-11 from "The Catcher in the Rye"

After reading chapters nine trough eleven from "The Catcher in the Rye," I realized that one of the biggest problem and concern of Holden Caulfield is that he wants to become an adult faster, but he doesn't know how to act mature. He calls a prostitute when he arrives in New York and he is trying to arrange a date with her inviting her for a cocktail. She refuses because she needs to get her beauty sleep. Well, Holden also flirts with three girls in a bar and dances with all of them but they refuse to do anything with him besides dancing.

Holden tries to act very mature and he is ordering alcohol to a bar. He is swearing a lot because he thinks that will make him more like an adult. According to his gray hair and his height he should be able to get alcohol at the bar, Holden thinks, however he is wrong because he doesn't know the rules.

Holden also has very nostalgic memories about Jane and he remembers everything what happened with her and he says that she is very different from other girls.

Reading these chapters, I understood that is very hard for Holden to act like an adult without knowing any information and any rules in his life. He thinks that he is going to be more free and he can do whatever he wants if he is an adult. This is the main reason why he wants to escape.

I think that I would hate being an adult because it is much more easier to live when you know that your parents will take care of everything you do and they will give you support and money. When you are an adult you need to do everything by your own. This is my opinion.

Holden Caulfield is different from other teenagers

Holden Caulfield is very different from other teenagers because his life experience hasn't been quite rich. Typical adolescents are more courageous and more diverse then him. As he belongs to a wealthy family, he didn't take advantage of it's offering in order to be very good student in a school that his parents sent him to. From everything I read in the book " The catcher in the Rye," I think that Holden is just an ignorant that hates himself and his life. My impression about him has changed during reading, however I don't really like him. Of course I understand that he is suffering from the death of his brother, but he needs to move on. Life goes on. A lot of bad things are happening and people are strong and they just forget about past and think about their present. Holden doesn't have a lot of information about how he should live his life and what he needs to do and what he should not do. He doesn't know how to act mature because nobody told him or taught him how to. He needs support from his friends and family. He needs advice and he needs a lot of lessons, but the problem is that nobody in his surroundings realize that. In our society, most of teenagers trust their parents with everything they need and they are not ashamed of sharing all their emotions with them.

Holden hates all people around him. He observes everyone's actions and he is criticizing everybody. He hates when people are polite and he hates when they are lying because he thinks that all of them are phony, however Holden admits in the book that he is the most terrific liar we would ever see. This statement makes me think that he hates himself then. Nowadays, teens are more likely to appreciate their lives and their families or friends. They love people and they have a lot of fun during this age. My opinion is that people should like themselves before others like them.