Do Now:
1. Take out your copies of The Catcher in the Rye.
2. Take out post it notes, or come to the front to grab some.
3. Consider the significance of the following quote. What does Salinger's language suggest about Holden's state of mind? Does any particular word strike you as odd or important?
"The
best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed
right where it was. Nobody’d move. . . . Nobody’d be different.
The only thing that would be different would be you."
SWBAT:
- (Students will be able to):
· Understand the significance of allusions in literature.· Identify the significant literary/cultural allusions in The Catcher in the Rye.· Extend their understanding of Salinger’s (indirect & direct) characterization.
The Catcher in the Rye:
Allusions & Cultural References
Allusion is a technique used in literature in which a literary work references another work of literature, work of art, historical figure, place, or event. In general, this passing reference is not explained by the writer, so only readers who are familiar with the referenced work tend to notice it.Writers use allusion in literature for a variety of different reasons. In some cases, a literary reference is used simply because it already communicated what the writer wants to say better than he could have himself. In most cases, though, writers make allusions because of the many emotions or ideas that readers may associate with the works to which the writer alludes.
Biblical allusions are among the most common types of allusion in literature. Biblical allusions are so prevalent because the Bible is widely read, so more people are likely to notice and recognize Biblical references. Additionally, many people, particularly those with religious backgrounds, make strong emotional and intellectual associations with certain passages of the Bible. The use of the Biblical allusion in literature serves not only to communicate lines from the Bible, but also to evoke the many emotions and ideas that people associate with those passages.
Allusion in literature, then, goes far beyond the literal words on the page and taps into a body of thought and emotion that people associate with other subject matters.
Spend some time looking through all of the allusions identified, below.
Skim through the book to locate "where" and "how" Salinger embedded the allusion/reference.
Your assignment:
1. Based
on your “lottery number” select the allusion that you would like to
investigate.
2. Research
Salinger’s use of the allusion. Be aware
that some allusions are repeated in the novel and could carry a variety of
purposes.
3. Write
an analysis of your select allusion in which you address:
·
The
“where, when and why” of the allusion.
(What is happening in the context of the story, who delivers the line,
to whom is the line delivered, etc.)
·
What is
the “meaning” of the allusion? (What
does your research tell you about the famous work?)
·
What
purpose does the allusion serve? (What
enhanced understanding of the mood, character, setting, conflict, etc. can be
gained by fully understanding the allusion?
What might Salinger be suggesting through the reference?
Assignment
parameters:
·
Blogs should be posted before class on Monday,
April 1st.
·
Blogs should be between 300-500 words.
·
Blogs should follow the conventions of standard
written English.
·
Blogs should be written in MLA format and should
indicate quoted material with parenthetical citations.
·
Blogs should be written in the “active voice”
using the powerful verbs of literary analysis.
·
See rubric for additional details.
Literature
1.
Beowulf (chapter 2, page10 & chapter15,
page111)
2.
"Lord
Randal" (chapter 2, page10 & chapter 15, page 111)
3.
Isak Dinesen, Out of Africa
(chapter 3, page 18-19)
4.
Ring Lardner
(chapter 3, page 18 & chapter 18, page 141)
5.
Thomas Hardy,
The Return of the Native (chapter 3, page 18 & chapter15, page111)
6.
Somerset Maugham, Of Human
Bondage (chapter 3, page 18)
7.
William
Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet (chapter15, page111)
9.
William
Shakespeare, Hamlet (chapter 16, page 117)
10. Charles Dickens,
Oliver Twist (chapter18, page 138)
11. Rupert Brooke (chapter18, page 140)
12. Emily Dickinson (chapter 18, page 140)
13. Ernest
Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms (chapter 18, page 141)
14. F. Scott
Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (chapter 18, page 141)
Historical Figures
15. Benedict
Arnold (chapter 21, page 162 & chapter 25, page 208)
16. Wilhelm
Stekel (chapter 24, page 188)
Pop Culture
17. The Atlantic Monthly (chapter 2, page7
& 12)
18. Slaughter on
Tenth Avenue (chapter 4, page 27)
19. Song of India (chapter
4, page 27)
20. The Ziegfeld Follies
(chapter 4, page 29)
21. Cary Grant (chapter 5,
page 37)
22. The
Baker's Wife (chapter 10, page 67)
23. Raimu
(chapter 10, page 67)
24. The
39 Steps (chapter 10, page 67)
25. Robert Donat (chapter 10,
page 67-68)
26. Peter Lorre (chapter 10,
page 71-72)
27. Gary Cooper (chapter 10,
page 74)
28. The Lunts (Alfred Lunt and
Lynn Fontanne) (chapter 17, page 125-127)
29. Sir Laurence Olivier
(chapter 16, page 117)
30. The Saturday Evening Post
(chapter 17, pages 124-125)
VERBS of literary analysis:
In the discussion of literature, write in the active voice. Allow your VERBS of analysis to DRIVE your discussion: Always strive for active voice and present tense when analyzing a short story, a novel, a passage from a novel, an essay, a play, or a poem.
The writer…
1. asserts that wisdom resides in simplicity
2.creates a world where robots
3.constructs family life sans TV and video
games
4.reconstructs his father’s memories
5. relives the adventures of his youth
6. traces the boy’s family history
7. tracks the evil results of greed
8. probes the innate cruelty of human nature
9.
explores how one lie leads to
legions
10. criticizes negligent parents
11. blames fate for his brother’s illness
12. accuses society of apathy and selfishness
13.attacks the authority figures
14.argues the merits of honest humiliation
15.establishes a mood of dissatisfied sarcasm
16.presents a childhood story
17. seeks to explain the inexplicable
18.finds ruptured relationships to be the cause
19.reveals how love can change lives
20.thinks love’s merits are overrated
21.believes all people want to feel significant
22.feels people too often succumb to despair
23.suggests that all families have secrets
24.points out the confusion
25.considers the historical period
26.examines the idealism of youth
27.exposes the hypocrisy of the self-righteous
28.dissects the underlying reasons
29.focuses on the cruelty of racist remarks
30.concentrates on motives behind decisions
31.reflects on a long walk in the woods
32.recalls a time when Americans relied on
33.reminisces about his grandfather’s fiddle
34.commiserates with families of soldiers
35.recreates the blurred landscape of a blind man
36. refers to her own childhood
37. illuminates the character’s thoughts
38. tells how he escaped into another world
39. shows how education defines social status
40. portrays a young athlete
41. depicts the hardships of the Depression
42. illustrates the struggles of migrant workers
43. paints a portrait of society’s forgotten
44. describes the courage of ordinary people
45. provides a glimpse into
46. cries out for social justice
47. pleads for acceptance
48. appeals for understanding
49. expresses the pain of loss
50. confides her sense of guilt
51. questions conventional wisdom
52. ignites the reader’s imagination
53. uses examples of broken things
54. pinpoints the moment of epiphany
55. hints that irony taunts our every move
56. implies that his despair stemmed from
57. makes clear the bristling resentment
58. surprises the reader
59. searches for answers to
60. empties his heart
61.produces two very different views
62. sorts through raw memories
63. inspires the reader to take a stand
64. chisels careful images of disappointments
65. encourages following whims
66. insists on facing mortality
67. marvels at nature’s resilience
68. rages against the materialistic rat race
Sam Julmisse
ReplyDelete3/29/13
AP Literature
The Catcher in the Rye: Allusions & Cultural References
The allusion that was chosen was Beowulf, which can be found mentioned in Chapter 2 page 10 and chapter 15 page 111. The first time this line is delivered is when Holden is speaking with his teacher Spencer as he tells him he has passed English due to the fact that he has already done all the things they were doing in his English class. The next time he speaks of it is when he is conversing with the nuns and revealing to them that English was his best subject and the many books that they had covered during the year.
Beowulf is an epic poem which was written in celebration of a legendary Scandinavian hero by the name of Beowulf. The poem tells of Beowulf killing the water monster Grendel and its mother who goes after Grendel in pursuit of revenge for her son. Many years later when Beowulf is an old king, a thief steals from a dragon and sends the dragon into a fierce rage. Beowulf knows his death will soon be upon him, and rises to meet the beast, slaying it. However, he was bitten and its venom kills him soon after. His followers burn his body as he wished them to do and is laid to rest with his treasures in a barrow (an ancient burial mound) which overlooks the sea.
The allusion to Beowulf reveals several things about our protagonist Holden. Looking carefully at the things Holden does, it concentrates on motives behind decisions in which he made. Beowulf goes out to fight in hopes of making a name for him, and Holden’s parent’s only think of their. Holden appears to attempt to step out of the shadowy reputation that comes from his parents need at being seen as perfection. It may be that Holden acts out in the manner he does to create a reputation of his own, such as Beowulf had done.
Salinger has Holden sort through his raw memories to show us reason behind his protectiveness. Holden may possibly be comparing himself to Beowulf. He wants to slay the bad (Grendel) to protect those who he feels are innocent and need to be protected (Jane and Allie). Holden will slay the bad and their mother (more in the charming the lady sense as seen with the mother of Ernest Morrow on the train). In the end however, it'll all be for nothing because he cannot protect them all, and he ends up in a psych ward. Since Beowulf was killed by something he fought to slay to protect his people, it could mean that Holden ends up in the psych ward due to someone he deems to be a threat to someone he feels is innocent.
Anthony Carpino
ReplyDeleteAP Lit.
3/29/13
Allusion assignment
The allusion that I chose was The Atlantic Monthly. It can be found in chapter 2, on pages 7 and 12. It is first mentioned when Holden goes to visit his teacher Spencer; the teacher that he has a connection to. It was first mentioned when Holden walks into Spencer’s room when Spencer puts the paper on the bed. This is important because in this scene Holden gets uncomfortable on the bed complaining that it is getting harder and harder. This is Holden trying to ovoid the subject and not wanting to talk about a difficult situation. This is important because if the paper is on the ben than The Atlantic Monthly is something that will become uncomfortable for Holden to talk about. Since The Atlantic Monthly is a literature magazine it could connect back to school a subject that Holden doesn't like to talk about. But what is ironic is that Holden doesn't like to talk about school and the one class that he is good in, which is English. So by him not wanting to talk about success with English and literature he focuses on the negative side and what he has done wrong. For example, when Holden talks about how bad he did on the History essay about the Egyptians, when he could be talking about how well he was doing in English class.
What Salinger is also conveying by the allusion is that Holden is not the only one that is being recognized here. By looking at The Atlantic Monthly we are also looking into the personality of Spencer. For the most part all we know about Spencer is that he is an old man that teachers at Pency University. Put this paper gives us a closer look at Spencer. From The Atlantic Monthly we can interpret that Spencer has an interest in literature as well as Holden. This allusion could give us a deeper meaning to the relationship between Spencer and Holden. The allusion The Atlantic Monthly could aluminate what Holden values in his relationship between him and Spencer. This value could be extremely important to Holden because it shows a true connection between Holden and Spencer something that Holden doesn't have with anyone else especially his parents. This is why Slinger used The Atlantic Monthly as an allusion to aluminate the true significance of Spencer and the significance of the relationship between Holden and Spencer.
Sydney West
ReplyDelete3/31/13
The Catcher in the Rye: Allusions and Cultural References
The allusion that I chose was Oliver Twist which is in chapter 18 on page 138. It is mentioned when Holden is at the Rockets show and meets the couple behind him. When Holden realizes that the couple loves Charles Dickens and that they actually had a copy of Oliver Twist on them he got very disgusted. Holden said that he was so shocked and angered he thought he might actually “puke”. He is not really saying it to the couple that he is disappointed in them but he is thinking it.
Oliver Twist is born in a workhouse in 1830s England. His mother, whose name no one knows, is found on the street and dies just after Oliver’s birth. Oliver spends the first nine years of his life in a badly run home for young orphans and then is transferred to a workhouse for adults. After he is kicked out of the workhouse he is sent to England and pickpockets people for a living. Nothing in his life is stable and nothing is forever. He is all over the place, and as a person, doesn’t know who he truly is.
Holden is something like Oliver. This allusion is conveying yet another way Holden sees in others what he hates in himself. Just like Oliver, Holden is going from school to school not really fitting in anywhere. He is not getting attention that he needs in order to be successful. Also, he does not have a good relationship with his parents and so he is really on his own. Just how Oliver has no parents and is depending on himself in order to stay alive. Holden can see himself in Oliver and hates that. He is disgusted by Oliver Twist and is not holding back when he says that. The only reason I can see that he hates Oliver is because he, in a sense, hates himself. The connections between Oliver and Holden are numerous and Holden notices that. The same way he hates how Ackley is annoying while he acts just like Ackley, he hates Oliver because he is just like him. He just cannot admit it.
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway was referenced the in the novel The Catcher in the Rye on page 141, chapter 18. Holden mentions A Farewell to Arms after watching a war movie at Radio City, where he remembered his brother D.B who suggested him to read the book, since D.B himself likes the book very much. However, Holden points out the confusion in why his brother D.B would like A farewell to Arms, since D.B. himself does not like the army nor war. As an example, Holden states “My brother D.B. was in the Army for four goddam years. He was in the war, too – he landed on D-Day and all – but I really think he hated the army worse than the war” (Salinger 140). Ultimately, Holden is referencing A Farewell to Arms to emphasize the fact that after watching a war movie and being deep in thought that he would most likely not be able to stand being in the army so long because of the stories told by D.B. who faced life in the army and war already.
ReplyDeleteA Farewell to Arms was written by Ernest Hemingway a writer who initially served in World War I, he has used most of his experience in serving in war to write many of his most famous novels. A Farewell to Arms is a novel specifically about the protagonist, Lieutenant Henry, who faces troubles in a relationship while having to serve in World War I. While, It has also been said that “Hemingway – himself a great sportsman – liked to portray soldiers, hunters, bullfighters – tough, at time primitive people whose courage and honesty are set against the brutal ways of modern society, and who in this confrontation lose hope and faith” (www.nobelprize.org). Basically, Hemingway writes about characters that lose faith in facing society. Whereas, this can connect to The Cather in the Rye because it is a novel that is about the protagonist, Holden, who is exposed to the real world and is lost on where to go and what to do; moreover, it could be specifically be referenced to A Farewell to Arms because of the fact that Holden who also goes around finding different girls, like Sally Hayes almost trying to start a relationship with her yet faces his own relationships problems, but not only that, he must try to find himself in where to go and what to do next, such as lieutenant Henry. Thus Salinger must be trying to portray Holden as this point in the novel as a character that has lost faith and hope in the world and is currently unable to have the courage face the truth or reality.
Ronny Peguero
ReplyDeleteO’Donnell
March 26, 2013
AP Lit
On page 18, Salinger alludes to W. Somerset Maugham’s novel Of Human Bondage. I chose this allusion because I did not know anything about it and frankly, the title interested me. Maugham was born in Paris to Irish parents. Within minutes of researching this novel, the reason that Salinger chose to include it became apparent. Of Human Bondage “is the story of a young man's struggle to find the meaning of life in a world that is cruel,” (http://www.bookrags.com/Of Human_Bondage).This same young man, Philip Carey, is the novel’s narrator. Bondage resembles an autobiography of the Philip’s life. Throughout the novel, Philip finds himself uncomfortable with having sex. He later then finds his male partner and accepts himself. Although the class has not been appropriately introduced to the entirety of Catcher in the Rye, we do know enough about Holden, however, to notice the similarities between the two protagonists.
By alluding to Of Human Bondage, Salinger suggests to the audience (for the audience that knows about Human Bondage) that Holden struggles when it comes to the topic of sexuality. Many seem to hypothesize Holden sexuality particularly because of this allusion and believe that Holden was homosexual. Throughout The Catcher in the Rye Holden seems to have the worst of times when he is around females. He hates Sally by the time their “date” ends and is left depressed when the three girls in the Lavender room abandon him. Holden criticizes women more than men, and just simply comes off as an effeminate character. This allusion might be Salinger’s way of foreshadowing that Holden is not being true to himself and is possibly hiding something. Whether this “something” concerns his sexuality or something else, we will have to see. Ultimately, this allusion better serves to develop Holden’s attitude towards the phony, adult world.
Denisha Kuhlor
ReplyDeleteA.P English
March 31,2013
On page 111 in The Cather and the Rye Salinger alludes to Shakespeare’s widely-known play “Romeo and Juliet”. The play is a tragic love story between two characters (Romeo and Juliet) and although they love each other both characters die. The play is set in Verona Romeo and Juliet can not be together because of their feuding families when Romeo believes that Juliet is dead he goes to her burial and drinks poison. Juliet who is still alive wakes up to find that Romeo has drunk poison and stabs herself with his dagger. The families realization of their loved ones dying causes them to end the feud.
Salinger alludes to Romeo and Juliet in a way one would argue as unconventional. With the play being so popularly known one would infer that Salinger would use it to convey to the reader information about Holden's love life. Instead, Salinger chooses to use the play to reveal important character development about Holden and his psychological mindset when it comes to other people.
Holden makes it evident to the reader that he is uncomfortable discussing the book with the nun due to its sexual nature. As Holden discusses the book he makes two statements that expose a deep part of his character. On page 111 he states “It drives me crazy if somebody gets killed-especially somebody very smart and entertaining and all-and it's somebody else's fault.” Although he is talking about Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet it is very evident to the reader that he is talking about his older brother Allie. Holden expressed numerous times the multitude of positive qualities which Allie possessed furthering his reasoning that his brother shouldn’t have died.
Lastly, Holden's last statement about Romeo and Juliet reveals how Holden views himself to the reader“Romeo and Juliet, at least it was their own fault.” This statement Holden makes appears to be an obvious classification of Holden's self. Even though psychologically,physically, and mentally Holden is in a crazy space he does not feel bad for himself because he knows and believes that he conscientiously chose and decided to do all the things that put himself in that space.
Although Holden is confused he definitely knows how he feels about somethings and his beliefs seem to be best defined when it comes to people. By using this allusion Salinger was trying to communicate these feelings to the reader while allowing the reader to interpret how much of these statements directly applied to Holden himself.
Archit Singh
ReplyDeleteJ.D. Salinger includes many allusions in his novel. One of the allusions that he refers to is a novel by Isak Dinesen called Out of Africa. Holden refers to it on page 19, chapter 3 where he talks to the therapist about a night he spent in his dorm at Pencey. Holden comes from Spencer’s house and directly goes to his dorm rather than the football game. Holden mentions this book when he realizes that he picked up the wrong book from the library but he actually enjoyed it. Holden reads the book with his red hat on and he says he wishes he could be friends with authors who do a great novel so that he could call them up anytime, and Isak Dinesen is one of them.
He also refers to Of Human Bondage and Ring Lardner. Holden does not consider Lardner a phony and therefore admires him, and he grew up just like Holden did, and have a passion of English. Of Human Bondage is a novel of a young man’s struggle to find meaning of life in a cruel world. This novel illuminates that Holden is uncomfortable with talking sexuality. Holden is concerned with talking to nuns about Romeo and Juliet; he does not have fun with Sunny, does not like Sally on their date.
Out of Africa is an autobiography written by Isak Dinesen. It is a memoir of the author’s life in the coffee plantation in East Africa. It is a novel whose narrator has an evening school for Africans who live in her farm and helps them if they need medical care. The narrator shows the lifestyle of Africa as paradise because it is not like Europe even though there are Europeans present along with Africans. Throughout the novel, she tries to define herself as to how she belongs in Africa.
The narrator acts as a protector of the African people who live on her farm and wishes to save as many African lives as possible. She tries to fit herself in Africa and tries to define who she is. Similarly, Holden has trouble understanding himself as a person. He is leaving Pencey and has no idea what to do with his life; his journeys define who he is. Holden struggles to tell if he is an adult or a teenager, he struggles to talk to someone, he lives a lonely life, meets people that he hates, and he has opinions about everything everyone. Holden wishes to protect the people in his life like his late brother Allie, his little sister Phoebe, and Jane.
The reference to this novel establishes Holden’s man vs. self-conflict as he tries to define himself through the relationships he holds with Allie, Phoebe, his parents, Jane and himself. It also presents to the fact that Allie has meant a lot to Holden because his death has affected Holden and his mother. He could not stand his death and so he wears his red hat as a reminder. He cares for his little sister because she is not like other children, she has an opinion about everything, she is matured and he likes it that way.
Giovani Martinez
ReplyDelete3/31/2013
Aplit Allusion Blog
The ballet “Slaughterhouse of Fifth Ave,” was placed early in the book, during a time of the story where Holden is talking to Stradlater, and giving some exposition on what kind of guy he is. At this exact moment, when we look more acutely, we find that Stradlater is whistling this tune. Or trying, rather. And for some reason, he cannot get it right. First, we must consider what the song symbolizes. “Slaughter on Fifth Ave,” is a song for a more cultured, and mature audience. The fact that Stradlater tries to replicate sophistication and fails, helps the author convey the idea that he is not as urbane or refined as he makes out to be, no matter how much he tries. The author also has Holden mention another song, “Song of India,” which we must consider. This song is extremely popular, and is just as complex. Anyone whistling this song must be trying to prove something large, because it isn’t the type of song people would hum, out of the blue.
Before knowing these songs, the reader would still understand that Stradlater is a “Huge phony,” and trying to seem like as though he’s more than just a jock. Once the reader has learned alittle about the music, they will know that not only is he a phony, but he’s childish. Salinger knows this song is chic, and to portray the façade that is Stradlater, he must display him failing in order to appeal as less than classical, mature, or developed. Stradlater only really cares about what others think of him. All he wants to do is seem as sophisticated as possible, when in reality he is just a strong kid with a pretty face. He’s nothing more than a bogus, hollow, athlete who worries too much on sex and image, rather than things that matter.
That being said, this really tells us a lot about Holden. Does he see himself as a phony? Holden is stuck between wanting to be an adult, but needing to keep his childhood pure and close to him. This is exactly what Sydney mentioned earlier when she said, “This allusion is conveying yet another way Holden sees in others what he hates in himself,” Holden points out how fake Stradlater is subconsciously. From learning more, we can see that Holden and Stradlater are both trying to grow up and mature, but are holding themselves back because of how they go about it.
Sana Suhail
ReplyDeleteAP Literature and Composition
March 31, 2013
Mrs. O’Donnell
“Song of India” is a Jazz single that was released in 1937 by Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra. At the time of its release during the “Swing Era” it became an instantaneously popular hit, being played everywhere from the smallest bars to the most respectable restaurants. The song begins slowly and has quick bursts of loud notes. As the song continues, the tempo quickens and more instruments are added, until the song concludes with a burst of all traditional instruments associated with big band music. After its initial appeal without vocals, music groups began adding voice to the arrangement, and soon the song was popularized with lyrics written by Nikolai Rimsky that lauds the exotic country of India making it popular amongst youth of the time for its upbeat rhythm. As Holden mentions in the fourth chapter of Catcher in the Rye, “Song of India” is a song that is hard to whistle, yet Stradlater continues to whistle it. This allusion provides indirect characterization of Holden and Stradlater in the context that it is mentioned. That is, Stradlater’s knowledge of the song is an indication of the fact that he is very well acquainted and immersed in the pop culture of the time. This corroborates Holden’s description of Stradlater as an extremely popular boy, but also provides an inclination towards his phoniness. After all, Holden believes, why would Stradlater try to whistle a song that is hard to whistle, if he didn’t want to show off his skill, although Holden probably isn’t any better, which in turn characterizes Holden as someone who criticizes others in a hypocritical way.
Furthermore, Holden comments that Stradlater has messed up the “Song of India” for him indicating Holden’s yearning to keeping things as pure as possible, including something as trivial as a song he’s heard, maybe only a few times. This is reflective of Holden’s need to protect and preserve things in their original state as much as possible, since he wasn’t able to protect Allie or Jane. Overall, Holden has problems with the concept of change and growing up. The “Song of India” like many aspects of his life represents purity and the innocence of childhood, which he is afraid and almost frustrated about losing. Also given the context in which Stradlater is whistling this (in preparation for his date with Jane), Holden is also mad at the fact that Stradlater is going to taint the pure perception he has of his childhood friendship with Jane, at least Stradlater could spare the song. Holden doesn’t consider Stradlater worthy enough of neither taking Jane out on a date, nor of whistling this song, because he “messes them up.” Through this seemingly casual reference to a contemporary song, Salinger seeks to convey Holden’s overall conflict of suffering through change and destruction of his pure child-like conception of life, thus illuminating the meaning of The Catcher in the Rye as a whole.
Monish Dave
ReplyDelete1 April 2013
A.P. Literature and Composition
Catcher in the Rye Allusion Assignment
The allusion I chose is "The 39 Steps", and can be found in Chapter 10, page 67. This allusion appears in the novel when Holden is feeling lonely at the Edmont Hotel late at night and travels to the Lavender Room. While he is changing his shirt he thinks of his beloved sister Phoebe and considers calling her. However, he quickly realizes that she would not be up this late and that his parents would probably have answered, the people he cannot face or talk to at this point due to his dismissal from Pencey Prep. Holden then goes on to describe his little sister as smart, which is evident from, “I mean she’s had all A’s ever since she started school” (67). Holden continues to describe her positive qualities and striking similarity to his late brother, Allie. For example, she apparently has the same red hair, has the same potential to succeed in the world, and has very likeable qualities overall.
This specific allusion J. D. Salinger has chosen to place at this point in the novel is no coincidence. The novel and movie, "The 39 Steps" was a hit across the United States of America between 1915 and 1935. The movie focused on an action and thriller plot and is very much like a James Bond film. Although the movie may have been suitable for adults, the pop culture aspect reminds us that even little Phoebe has seen this movie, “about ten times” (67) and can recite many of the movie’s signature lines. So what does this all mean? The reader can easily recognize that Phoebe is able to memorize lines of a popular movie, but there is a greater meaning. The allusion to this film and novel presents subtle irony, which is how Holden hates all the phonies in Hollywood, like his own brother D. B. because he thinks they are “prostituting” themselves by working for a large industry and writing scripts. However this memory of the movie questions the belief that Holden thinks is true, that he hates all the movies and cannot stand them.
After much research I feel that there are two main reasons why he appreciates this movie, when in reality he should not. The first is that it reminds him of his sister because it was her favorite movie, which is evident from, “When old Donat comes up to this Scotch farmhouse, for instance, when he’s running away from the cops and all, Phoebe’ll say right out loud in the movie – right when the Scotch guy in the picture says it…” (67), which basically conveys the message to the reader that Phoebe’s happy times make Holden feel happy as well. This idea was also discussed in class as, “Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone. I know that's impossible, but it's too bad anyway” (from the blog). The second reason why I believe Holden appreciates this movie is because Holden is intrigued by the things he hates. Although Holden repeatedly denies appreciating the Hollywood industry, he is in fact connected to it in many ways. His brother D. B. works as a writer there and the industry provides irreplaceable joy to his sister Phoebe, which he believes contributes to his happiness as well. Through this allusion the reader can magnify his or her understanding of the novel as a whole, and characterize Holden.
Mariam Mohamed
ReplyDelete4/1/2013
AP Literature
The Catcher in the Rye: Allusions & Cultural References
The Allusion that I was interested in was the Baker’s Wife, which is found on chapter 10, page number 67 in the book catcher in the rye. This book was mentioned when Holden was describing phoebe for the first time to the therapist. Holden describes what type of a girl phoebe is and what she likes to the therapist. He references to the Baker’s wife to show how smart phoebe is for her age and that she can identify the difference between a good movie and bad movie. He wants us to know that phoebe is the type of girl that would get along with everyone.
The Baker’s wife, which was originally a play, was then later made into a movie, which was the version that Holden, D.B. and phoebe went and watched. This movie was the story of a French baker, his wife, and a shepherd. The shepherd advances on the French baker’s wife, which leads to an affair between them. The shepherd and the Bakers wife depart one night. The French baker then discovers their affair is heartbroken that his wife left him. He then vows to never produce his delicious bread for the village until the wife returns and becomes faithful again, which throws the town into an uproar. The wife eventually returns to the baker, thus concluding the play, and providing the village with bread once again.
The Allusion to the Baker’s Wife in the books reveals how Holden judges other people based on what they like and how he can only connect to those that are similar to him. Holden, by saying that his sister likes that movie, is also indirectly saying that he thinks the Baker’s wife is also a good movie. Salinger Alluded to this movie in order to add on to what type of a person that Holden is because phoebe likes this movie and thus Holden likes it as well. Salinger is providing us with an example by alluding to this movie that Holden takes his own opinion from someone else, based on his opinion of them. In other words, if he likes that person then he agrees with what they like, but he does not like a person, then he criticizes and judges them. So by using the Bakers wife, Salinger shows us that Holden Judges people’s decision based on if he likes them or not.
Ryan Lawson
ReplyDelete3/31/13
A.P. Literature and Composition
Catcher Allusion
Allusions in literature are often used to characterize the people in a story. One example of this in Catcher in the Rye is an allusion to The Saturday Evening Post. In the seventeenth chapter of the story, Salinger has Holden mention that, “that crap they have in the Saturday Evening Post and all, showing guys on street corners looking sore as hell because their dates are late – that’s bunk” (Salinger, 124-125). On first glance, with my limited knowledge of the publication that Holden was speaking of, this seemed like a meaningless allusion. However, after a bit of research, I learned more about the relevance of that particular post. The Saturday Evening Post was a publication that was known for the excellent works of fiction that were published into it. Of course, to know how the writers of the Post generally characterized the men on dates, Holden must be fairly familiar with the Post. While I thought that this allusion was meaningless, it seems that Salinger was actually subtly characterizing Holden by suggesting he read the Post. In suggesting that Holden read the publication, Salinger was characterizing Holden as an avid reader who especially enjoys fictional works. This is noted further when one realizes that writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of fictional work, The Great Gatsby, which is one of Holden’s favorite books, actually wrote pieces for the magazine.
Analyzing this on a deeper level, we can see that Holden’s great love for fiction helps in suggesting his complete disdain for and wish to escape from reality. Seeing as his reading material was full of fiction, in the form of comics, poems, and stories, it is also obvious that his intent to escape reality may be linked to a longing to avoid becoming an adult. As we discussed in class, Holden has a deeply rooted fear of becoming an adult, and in this moving on from childhood to adulthood, also moving past the death of Allie. Therefore, Salinger is revealing that Holden constantly tries to use his books and his Post lined with fiction in an attempt to ignore the reality of his growth and of the ever moving and changing world around him.
Josaua Desai
ReplyDeleteAP Literature and Composition
Ms. O’Donnell
3/31/13
Allusions and Cultural References: Wilhelm Stekel
In J.D. Sallinger’s, Catcher in the Rye, several allusions to various forms of literature, historical figures, and cultural ideas were denoted throughout the text. One of the most popular references was to Wilhelm Stekel, an esteemed Austrian psychiatrist and psychologist. Stekel was an early follower of Sigmund Freud, and went on to become deeply influenced by his work, which lead to the creation of his theories, essentially indirectly characterizing Holden and how other people viewed him.
This was addressed in the conversation Holden was having with Mr. Antolini, a previous teacher whom Holden had good relations with, “Then he came back and sat down with the paper in his hand. “Oddly enough, this wasn’t written by a practicing poet. It was written by a psychoanalyst named Wilhelm Stekel. Here’s what he-Are you still with me?” This further continued on and the message that Antolini wrote on the paper he gave to Holden read, “The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.” He illustrates Holden as somewhat of an immature child, in the eyes of society, as seen when Mr. Antolini describes him as someone who will eventually die for some “highly unworthy cause”, an idea upheld by Stekel essentially dictating that a person who died for some “unworthy cause”, was not mature, but rather that the person who lived their life for their own self was supposed to be viewed as a mature individual. Accordingly, this conveys that Salinger was also a supporter of Stekel, because he, through several occasions in this text, portrays and allows for the reader to dissect and analyze Holden as a “child in a man’s body” Consequently, this illustrates Holden’s past to be filled with harsh and difficult situations, in which he did not mature mentally, but only physically, in which he grew bigger physically, but his mental capacity and idea of thinking stayed the same.
Additionally, by inserting this allusion, Salinger is illustrating what society’s thoughts and ideas mainly consisted of at the time that he wrote his book, as well as what his (Salinger’s) views were of society and it’s morals. Over the course of this chapter, Salinger describes Mr. Antolini by using a negative connotation, through Holden who calls him an “alcoholic” if he doesn’t watch his step. In addition, Holden stated that he “smoked like a fiend”. Moreover, Salinger suggests that Mr. Antolini is in fact very judgmental, because of the way he almost “obsesses” over Holden, when he was telling Holden ultimately, that he wasn’t going to make it in the world. Consequently, this allows the reader to chisel away the extra detail, and realize the situation that Holden is dealing with; a society that was very judgmental of a person’s behavior. Furthermore, this is seen when he is comparing himself to D.B., Allie, and Phoebe, in the way that he felt “dumb” compared to them, indicating one of the reasons for his behavior was in fact this judgment he felt. In addition, this further embraces the idea that Holden is a direct representative of the childhood and life that Salinger lead, because Salinger’s tone, diction, and the resulting mood when describing this allusion seems to be somewhat rough, however it is somewhat filled with sympathy and understanding, thereby giving the reader an entrance into Salinger’s mind ad his real intent behind writing this renowned piece of literature. Moreover, this seems to hint that Holden’s character and the characters around him that shape his ideas will continue to unravel.
Nikki Gartley
ReplyDeleteApril 1
Ap Lit
Oddonell
The allusion I chose alluded to Emily Dickinson. It can be found on page 140, located in chapter 18. The allusion was placed in the same paragraph as allusions to Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Like the reference to The Great Gatsby, which characterized Holden more than the other characters, the allusion to Emily Dickinson helped to characterize Holden, but it also helps to characterize Allie as well. This is established as Salinger has D.B. ask Allie who he thought was a better war poet, and Allie picked Emily Dickinson over Roopert Brooke.
Emily Dickinson was a well-known poet. Many of her poems focused on death and immortality. Her great abilities with writing were not truly known until she died and her sister found her poetry. She was interested in poetry from a younger age, and took classes in it as a teenager. She was traumatized by the death of her close friend and cousin, who died when she was only around fourteen. Furthermore, Emily began to cut herself off from the rest of the world due to loss of close family and friends.
Holden is very similar to Emil Dickinson. Allie was a great friend to him, and he died when Holden was only thirteen. He has discovered a love of books and poetry at his age. He has run into the same issue as Emily did, and now he is beginning to cut himself off from other people. The fact he is remembering Allies preference further establishes the fact that Holden truly cared for his younger brother and the fact that the loss impacted him greatly. The seclusion that Emily went through can be compared not only to Holdens seclusion, but also to how Salinger locked himself away from the world towards the end of his life. This allusion reveals that Holden will most likely continue to cut himself off from the world and possibly lose even more people in his life before he dies.
Jossieanette Nieves
ReplyDeleteMrs. O’Donnell
AP Lit
4/1/13
Allusion is a technique that makes a reference with another work of literature, historical event, or work of art in order to convey a deeper meaning through outside sources. In the story, Catcher in the Rye, Salinger uses allusion to convey an enhanced meaning about Holden Caulfield and the date he has with Sally. In this case, Holden Caulfield is the one who delivers the line to Sally whom he was on a date with. The reference to this allusion is found in (chapter 17, page 125-127). Sally and Holden are talking about the show that they are about to see which are The Lunts. The Lunts are Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne which are famous actors. Holden took Sally Hayes to a play starring the Lunts. As mentioned before, The Lunts are famous actors who became the most famous married couple in the US theatre. They had a theatre named after them called The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Alfred Lunt was a US director and actor and his wife Lynn Fontanne was a “British-born American based actress and major star in the US for over 40 years” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Fontanne).
The purpose of this allusion is to emphasize how Holden feels about any actor no matter how famous they are. To Holden all actors are "phonies" and the Lunts were no exception. Holden’s particular complaint about the Lunts was that they were too good. It is evident that Holden does not care about anyone except his brother Allie and little kids. Since Holden is not in the right state of mind and he is so depressed he cannot enjoy the finer things in life. He dwells on his brother’s death so much that he blocks everything around him and does not try to get to see the bright side of the situation that he is going through. Holden cannot seem to exert happiness because he does not allow himself to explore the world without reflecting his own feelings about it and criticizing everyone. Holden does not take advantage of the things that come to him because he is so depressed and lonely, therefore, he tunes off the world. It is inferred that Holden’s anger is derived from his brother’s death and that idea of authority in his life so he thinks that everyone is a phony. There is no exception. When he took Sally on a date to see the Lunts she was excited and thought it was a marvelous idea, however to Holden it was just another lousy day, he was not enthusiastic about the show so he did not pay much mind to it even though his complaint about them was that they were too good.
Granted, by understanding the whole purpose of this allusion that Salinger uses about the Lunts, you will know that Holden is in a place where a lot of famous people go, which is Broadway in New York where he is located. He is surrounded by what he calls phonies. Through this reference, Salinger might be suggesting that Holden is never amused by things around him. Holden encumbers his true feelings and is easily petulant. Holden’s views about the world are what most teenagers’ views are today. Through this allusion that Salinger made it is emphasized that Holden does not see the point to anything that surrounds him. This allusion enhances our understanding because it pinpoints that idea that Holden is so depressed he is not aware of the finer things that he is missing as a life of a teenager. He criticizes the world, but never himself.