Mid-Unit Test
- 1. Holden has moved from school to school and is not able to relate to his parents. What effect has this had on him? Make sure you provide evidence from the novel to justify your answer.Having moved from school to school and not being able to relate to his parents are the key factors that affected Holden’s personality. <br />Firstly, he has adapted to the idea of changing schools so often, and wouldn’t be able to form deep relationships with any of the children around him. Therefore, Holden only has deep relationships with Phoebe, Jane and Allie, whom are his childhood friends and family members. Having few people that he is able to trust and open up to, results in him being lonely and distrustful. This brings about the feeling of distance with his schoolmates, this decreases the chances that Holden have to makes friends, as already he changes schools so often. Another point is that Holden is so use to the idea of moving from school to school so often that he has given up on studying hard, thus slacking in all subjects except for English. This again brings about the problem of the time spent around kids his age, and the less time he has spent around the other students, the less he actually makes friends and opens up to, or forms deep relationships with.<br />Secondly, not being able to relate to his parents, bring about him being confused about growing up. Being unable to understand adulthood and how to grow up, it puts Holden in a place of feeling alienated and having his reluctance to grow up. The friends that he has are all growing up and changing, while he is stuck unable to grow up, therefore being left behind. Example would be D.B, Holden’s brother, “It killed me. Now he is out in Holly wood, D.B being a prostitute.” D.B use to be a ‘regular writer’ until he started selling his work in Hollywood, then Holden realized that D.B has grown up and moved on to other things. The fact that Holden called D.B a ‘prostitute’ shows that Holden doesn’t want to face the fact that D.B has gown up and move on to succeeding in his writing. <br />Lastly, not being able to relate to his parents prevents Holden to truly understand adulthood, the factors that adulthood holds, and how to grow up. This is evident in his outlook on adulthood; Holden thinks that adulthood is about money and sexuality, when adulthood is more about responsibility and a different take on life. Also when Holden runs away to New York, he samples his view of adulthood, he meets the opposite sex and also he handles money. On the way to trying out adulthood, Holden encounters memories when he was young, this is evident in his trip to the museum, which is a big turning point in the book as it contrasts his past with his present, and how he has changed. It can be seen that he has changed from when he was young. <br />Altogether, both having moved from school to school and not being able to relate to his parents, has immense effect on his personality and his outlooks on life. <br />Explain why Holden’s brother Allie, his sister Phoebe and his friend Jane Gallagher are so important to him. How does his connection to them help to reveal his reluctance to grow up?
- 2. Allie, Phoebe and Jane all symbolize the picture of innocents and purity. To Holden, once you grow up and start to deal with money and sexuality, that is when one becomes immoral and not innocent anymore. This shows that he is confused about the many aspects of growing up, and becoming mature
- 3. Allie, Holden’s younger brother, has a big place in Holden’s heart Holden practically idolizes him. “You’ have liked him. He was two years younger than I was, but about fifty times as intelligent.” Holden talks about Allie with absolute fondness, showing his love for Allie. Having died young, Allie holds up the image in Holden’s mind as “Innocent” and young, unable to grow old and change.
- 4. Phoebe, Holden’s sister, makes him face reality, like Allie Holden talks about her with absolute fondness too. She acts her age but talks in a mature way, this may be the reason Holden likes her so much. She may be young and “Innocent” but she is very adult like, and that is what Holden wants, to grow up and not become immoral and not innocent.
- 5. Jane, Holden’s neighbor, has a very intimate relationship with Holden. When Stradlater went out with Jane, it made him mad because, he knew her so well and didn’t want her to go out with somebody that she didn’t know so well. Also, Holden suspects that Jane has had something to do with her step-father, from the encounter with him when Jane and Holden were playing checkers.” Old Jane wouldn’t’ answer him (step dad)…Finally he went inside the house…Then all of a sudden, this tear plopped down by the checker board.” It shows that Jane and her step-dad have something going on between them, and it isn’t good. Having said that, it makes Holden want to protect her more, as he knows her really well, and wants to keep her innocent and pure.
- 6. All these character hold the image of innocent and what Holden wants to be, even though he is stuck between growing up and staying innocent.
- 7. Summarize Holden’s experiences after he leaves Pencey Prep. Don’t just list these experiences. Summarize what kinds of experiences they are and the effect they have on Holden. How does he respond to them? (What does he try to do? Is he successful? Why or why not?) When Holden leaves Pencey Prep, he starts a road to growing up. When he is in the train and he lies to Ernest Morrow’s mom, Holden says many nice things about Ernest Morrow, like class elections and how Ernest Morrow was very popular. This shows that Holden wants to make friends and form deep relationships with other people, instead of having to move on from school to school and not having the time to form relationships with other students. It reveals that the things that Holden desires, brings him into conflict. <br />Holden also meets girls along the way, after he leaves Pencey Prep, e.g. Sunny, the 3 girls in the Lavender bar etc. As Holden thinks of growing up as sexuality and becoming immoral, it shows that he wants to try and see what it feels like, have a taste of adulthood. As Holden doesn’t have many encounters with the opposite gender, he lacks experience thus lacking in the skills to communicate and understanding the way to act.<br />When Holden is alone, he usually things and reflects on his actions, and commonly thinks about other people, Jane in particular. “All of a sudden on my way out to the lobby, I got old Jane in my brain again. I got her on, and I couldn’t get her off” This show s that Jane plays a big part in Holden’s life, just like Allie and Phoebe, and this is significant because it helps him make the decisions that he makes, it affect his thinking and his attitude to others.<br />Overall, once Holden left Pencey Prep, he went to find the way to grow up, and experience other things out in the world, event though he was reluctant to do it, and leave behind the image of innocence and purity. He still wanted to grow up and become an adult, this show his determination not only to grow up but also to have a part of him that was innocent and pure. That is why he lies about his age; he wants others to treat him like an adult. All of these events show his confuse to growing up, and it also show the little steps he is taking to adulthood, maturing and becoming a full grown up.<br />