Sunday, October 12, 2008
What interests me is Holden's relationship with his parents. Initially, it appeared as though Holden was completely fearless of authority and didn't mind the penalties for his actions. However, when it came to Holden's parents, it seemed that he didn't want to disappoint them. He didn't want them to know that he dropped out of school when he did. He would do anything before he would call his parents to come bring him home, even if that meant he would roam the dangerous winter streets of NYC alone. When Holden finally reached home, he wanted only to see Phoebe, and wanted to avoid any contact with his parents. I do not know whether he is fearful of them, or if he genuinely feels bad about being a "failure" of a student. It seems that Holden has a lot of pressure and a lot to live up to, as his older brother is being successful elsewhere. Holden must feel pressure from his parents, however, Holden doesn't take the pressure in a motivational way. The pressure probably overwhelms him in a discouraging fashion, because he is rebellious and cynical towards almost everything, except for his parents. For what reason, I do not know.
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3 comments:
vyI totally agree with you when you say Holden doesn't want to let his parents down. I feel he feels this way because early on in the book he lets the readers know he is the "stupid" child in his family. He looks down upon himself day after day. I don't think he sees the potential he has in himself to be smart. I feel he doesn't want to let his parents down but he does in so many ways by not trying in school. And i think the reason he doesn't do well in school is because he has so many things going on in his head and so many little things he just can't let go of.
shayna,
I totally know what you're saying when Holden tries to make his parents proud. I think it's because he wants them to love him as a son, so he tries to accomplish as much as he can. But when he's around Phoebe, he wants to be with her and only her. I think his main priority in family is Phoebe, and then his parents. So whenever Phoebe is present, he doesn't care about his parents. I like your blog!
<3,
jamie
I agree with you. I also feel like there is a lot of pressure on Holden because his sister Phoebe and his brother D.B. are both intelligent and successful. His parents are probably very proud of Phoebe and D.B. and even of Allie, who was really smart when he was alive. Holden wants his parents to be proud of him too and this is probably why he doesn't want to let his parents down. I think this is why he didn't want his parents to know that he was kicked out of Pencey.
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