Catcher in the Rye: Part 2

Jamie Beckman
September 14, 1998
English p.-2

I enjoyed the second half of Catcher in the Rye very much. I was glad to see Holden reunite with Phoebe and spend some time with her. She was the only character in this book that made Holden seem genuinely happy. At the same time though, I was disappointed that Holden never met up with Jane Gallagher. He talked about her so frequently while telling his tale, that I thought for certain he would interact with her before the end of the book.

It became very clear to me that Holden was scared of change in his life. He told us that his favorite thing about the museum was that nobody would move and nobody would be different. Maybe this fear of change is why he doesn't succeed shifting from school to school. Also, this could be why he wonders where the ducks go in the winter. He has seen the ducks in Central Park since he was a child and they probably give him a sense of security in being home. When he looks for the ducks in the pond and can't find them, he seems to lose hope in his future. He talks of getting pnemonia and dying due to the cold air.

I also noticed that Holden was very lonely. He didn't seem to make new friends his age very easily, so he relied on friends from the past and on people of other ages. It seemed that he didn't really want to go out with Sally Hayes, but he did because he was seeking companionship. He demonstrated this again when he asked Carl Luce to meet and have a drink with him. I'm not sure he really wanted to talk to Carl because all Holden did was get Carl upset. He took pleasure in showing the two little boys around the museum because he wanted someone to talk to, and the boys were awed by his knowledge of the museum and its artifacts. Holden invited a girl Phoebe's age, whom he met at the skating rink, to go get a cup of hot chocolate with him. It's possible that he hangs around with younger children because he misses his childhood.

Although it's possible that he wishes he were younger, Holden has a certain maturity about him when he interacts with adults. Earlier in the book, he met Mrs. Morrow on the train and held a discussion with her. He also had some drinks and danced with the three ladies whom he met in thebar. He conversed with his taxi cab drivers as well.

I was happy to see Holden go visit Phoebe before he left New York City. She seemed overjoyed to see him. She was especially excited to learn that he brought her a gift, even though it was broken. I think Phoebe looks up to Holden tremendously, so all the little things that Holden does, like asking her to dance, thrill her. Later in the book when Holden sends Phoebe a note asking her to meet him, she was crushed that he was going away. She even brings a packed suitcase so that she can accompany him on his journey. In the end, she was the one who changed his mind about venturing off to somewhere else.

I was surprised to see Holden call up Mr. Antolini and go stay over at his house. I can't imagine calling any of my teachers, past or present, if I needed somewhere to stay. Then again, if I were in Holden's situation and absolutely had no where else to go, I would definitely consider it. Mr. Antolini tried to provide Holden with some needed advice, yet Holden let it slip in one ear and out the other. He told Holden that "many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually" as he was, but Holden blamed his lack of attention on being tired. I think that Holden just didn't care.

I wish Holden had contacted Jane Gallagher, but I think he didn't because he was afraid of rejection. She might have not wanted to meet with him or she could have told him that she was romantically involved with someone and that would have crushed Holden. It took a lot of courage on Holden's behalf to even attempt calling her. He was probably relieved to reach Jane's mother.

One thing I wanted the narrator to tell us was what happened to him in between the zoo and the mental institution. I would like to know what exactly drove Holden insane or how he ended up in the mental hospital. Also, I think the book ended in a strange way. I was expecting there to be more of a point to Holden's long story. Instead, his reason for telling us this story was to warn us not to start remembering or tell anyone anything because then we would start missing people from our past.

Overall, I enjoyed the book a lot. It was very easy to read, and once I got started, I found it difficult to put down. I would definitely recommend it to anyone in search of a good book to read.