chapter 2 - A Visit to Mr. Spencer

quote 1:  p.8 - “Life is a game boy.  Life is a game that one plays according to the rules.”

        Holden:  that’s bull

        the father in Shy Guy - urging conformity

        Holden refuses conformity - you can only play if you’re in with popular people

motif:  conformity, hypocrisy

bottom of page 12 - holden is bs’ing - making himself what he hates

motif:  deception - convince the audience that everyone’s phony.  he does what they do.

        blind the audience his own identity

        remember about narrator

quote 2:  Old Haas:  “If a boy’s mother was sort of fat…suits with very big shoulders…shake hands…give a phony smile.”

        conformity.  people as different.  acknowledgement

reality/fantasy - Old Spencer as reality - REALITY CHECK!

        the term paper

        trying to do a good thing but completely missing the point.  no effect

        get Holden to see the reality of his ways, rejecting the reality check.  no care for it.

motif:  father/son relationship - family

sickness, live in the moment, avoid the future -- old age!

chapter 3: Liar, Liar, Holden’s on Fire!”

quote 1:  “I’m the most terrific liar…”

        questioning what is a lie and what is the truth

        unreliable narrator

Ackley and Stradlater - foils for each other

        S:  outwardly attractive, cares for image, self centered

        A:  super nosy, hideous appearance, halitosis

        H:  Holden sees the similarities between the two

Holden’s use of sarcasm - messing around but being serious:  another form of lying

Ackley:  stubborn, inconsiderate, won’t think about what others are telling him

p. 18:  “I’m quite illiterate…” - self criticism, isn’t processing what happens.  surface level only.

Ackley/Holden - Ackley is the annoying one.

Holden/Stradlater - Holden takes Ackley’s role (annoyance)

GATSBY LINK!  calling people Old Sport - saying it to be in the conversation, no real meaning behind it

HUCK LINK!  taking death lightly - “That killed me!” - the story of the girl dying.  humor of death

chapter 4:  Sexy Stradlater

hyper focus on Stradlater and his attractiveness - Is Holden gay?

symbol:  the hat! - putting on a show for others, not really true

symbol:  music throughout the chapter - violent titles “Slaughter on 10th Avenue”

quotes:  “He always looked good…a secret slob…madly in love with himself.”

        irony:  admiration, jealousy on behalf of Holden

        not knowing a person until you see them from the inside

        appearance/reality

        “yearbook pictures”

        obsession with the people around him - thinking he’s cool, ignoring his problems

Holden’s actions - taking off of his coat, taking off clothing.  trying to be himself

p. 33:  “The window…can’t see out of it…”

        cloudiness of the window - stuck within himself, can’t get outside of himself

        importance of EGO

symbol:  the color red! being noticed? saying something to avoid people looking deeper

chapter 5:  Allie and All

quote:  fourth paragraph - “He started to throw the snowball…nice and white…”

        obsession with perfection

        things looking pretty - not wanting to ruin that

quote:  bottom of paragraph - “People never believe you.”

        admit that he’s a liar but wants to be believed

IRONY!!!!  mocking Stradlater’s desire to be pretty.  nature/artificial?

symbol:  Allie’s baseball mit

        reminiscent tone - Sanders “Inheritance of Tools”

symbol:  red hat - a way to become Allie

exaggeration/hyperbole

quote:  third paragraph from the end

        parents going to have Holden psychoanalyzed

        parents not coforming to the normal ideas of grief