Please think about these three questions--you are note required to respond to these questions, but I would be interested to hear what you have to say about them.
1.) Why does Holden start crying at the end of chapter 23? How are his tears like the rain that has been a constant present in the novel? How does Phoebe act as a mirror for Holden--what does her character reflect?
2.) How is Holden 'connected' to James Castle? How does Mr. Antolini act as a bridge between these two characters?
3.) What does Holden hope to gain by going to Mr. Antolini's apartment? In this moment, does he finally get what he is searching for?
Good luck and let me know what I can do in order to be of assistance to you.
Best,
AK
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3 comments:
What does Holden hope to gain by going to Mr. Antolini's apartment? In this moment, does he finally get what he is searching for?
Holden hopes to find parental figures when he goes to Mr. Antolini’s apartment. He wants to feel welcomed and a sense of belonging. When Holden walks in the door, he instantly finds what he is looking for from the Antolinis. They are awake waiting for him even though he arrives in the middle of the night, and the Antolinis bring him snacks and coffee. Mrs. Antolini is still in her night gown, but that doesn’t stop her from coming to bring Holden and Mr. Antolini food. Mr. Antolini stays up with Holden for a while talking and helps Holden to realize his mistakes and also that he is just human and the mistakes he made are OK. Holden finds comfort from the Antolinis as he thought he would, but after he goes to sleep on the couch, everything changes for Holden. He wakes up to find Mr. Antolini stroking his head. Although this action could be taken as a kind gesture of Mr. Antolini trying to sooth Holden from all of his struggles, Holden finds it perverted. This sense of welcome, belonging, and finding parental figures quickly dissolve, as Holden leaves the Antolini’s apartment traumatized by what Mr. Antolini did to him. Because Holden is always running from his life and trying to justify the reasons why he is running, he makes excuses for why he needs to get out of the Antolini’s quickly. Instead of giving Mr. Antolini the benefit of the doubt, Holden assumes the worst which sends him out into the cold again with nowhere to turn for reassurance.
Holden starts crying because it natural. Our tear ducts naturally produce watery solution to flush out our eyes. He starts crying because Pheobe is genuianlly nice to him. She expresses her love for him and he does not know how to process it because since Allie's death he has shut off his ability too love. Allie was Holden's connection into the world and the fitting on his heart that let love seep in.
Andrew Waterhouse wrote...
I have no idea which of the questions my response answers. I suppose it is mainly 2.) and 3.)
Throughout the entire book, Holden Caulfield is looking for a goodbye. He is looking for change. He is looking to leave the old version of himself in the unnatural gasoline rainbows in the natural puddles he sees outside of the Museum of Natural History. "You'd just passed by one of those puddles in the street with gasoline rainbows in them. I mean you'd be different in someway-- I mean I can't explain what I mean. And even if I could, I'm not sure I'd feel like it" (122).
To gain this goodbye, Holden sees his 'old' teacher Mr. Antolini. Holden knows that because Mr. Antolini taught him English, his virtuosity, that Mr. Antolini would know what to do or teach him. For Holden to leave his grotesque past out of his present, see who he is in the moment, say goodbye to who he was five minutes ago, and be caught by someone. "Thanks a lot,' I said. 'G'by!' The elevator was finally there" (193). Mr. Antolini catches him before he hits the ground. For James Castle, Mr. Antolini waited too long so that he hit the ground, but Mr. Antolini tried to catch Holden right before he hit rock bottom. "...I got soaked anyway. I didn't care though. I felt so damn happy all of a sudden, the way Phoebe kept going around and around" (213).
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