In this chapter, the reader is allowed to see what a strong bond Phoebe and Holden share. For the first part of the chapter, Holden is obviously enjoying his time with Phoebe and becoming more and more relaxed. They are dancing and having fun, jitterbugging and swirling around the D.B's room. After they finish, Phoebe jokes around and starts telling Holden to feel her forehead so he can see how she can get her temperature to go "over the thermometer"(176). Holden, playing along, whisks his hand away and asks her why she didn't tell him, as if she would have burnt his hand if he hadn't pulled away. Just as she was coming up with a reply, their parents come home. Instantly, Holden becomes very nervous, his heart pounding. While hiding in the closet while Phoebe talks to their mother and covers his back when their mother smells the smoke, Holden comments on how his mother obviously did not have a good time despite the fact that she had said she had a marvelous time. After waiting a few minutes, he sneaks out of the closet. He is very nervous by this time, and he knows he has to leave. He borrows money from Phoebe's Christmas "dough", although he thinks that she gave him too much. When he tries to give it back, she wouldn't let him. Then, Holden begins to cry, saying that he "couldn't help it"(179). Phoebe comforts him, although she was very scared at this sudden development. When he tries to get her to go back to bed, she wouldn't, and eventually he stopped crying. She told him that he could stay with her, but he replied that Mr. Antolini was waiting for him. He then proceeds to give her his hunting hat, and leaves, stating that he almost wished his parents had found him.
If you could put yourself into Phoebe's shoes during this chapter, what would you be feeling? Would you have done anything differently? Do you think that she understood what was happening, or was she just frightened and had not noticed her brother's mental state? Why do you think he gave her the red hunting hat?
If I were Phoebe, I would have been overjoyed to see my brother again, too. I wouldn't have hesitated to run to him and give him a huge hug, and I probably would have cried with tears of joy. This part of the book is my favorite, because it is the first positive moment in the book. Poor Holden finally catches a break, and he is happy and relaxed. If I were Phoebe's age, I probably would have handled the situation the same. But if I was the age I am now, I would have realized that Holden needed to be with his family, and that he needed some comfort. At least I would have noticed that he might be sad about getting kicked out of Pency, and I would have comforted him instead of saying over and over "Dad is going to kill you." I would have been more insisting that he'd stay. I would have tried to make the option of leaving the house worse than him staying. I would have said something like mom and dad will be very mad when they find out you have been in New York this whole time, and they will be mad that you didn't come home and you stayed on your own. I would have maybe even told my mom that Holden was home. I honestly just think that little Phoebe had no idea that Holden was in a bad state, and that he needed to stay home. She is the youngest of the three children, and she probably wouldn't have any control of what Holden did or didn't do. I think that Holden gave her the red hunting hat, because he wants to be nice to his little sister. He said that she likes things like that, so i think that he is just a very kind and thoughtful person. Maybe he wanted to give it to her because the record he bought broke so he felt bad that he didn't have anything good to give her.
ReplyDeleteIf I were Phoebe, I would have a mixture of emotions. At first, I would be relieved that my brother was home, but disappointment would follow when I discovered that he had been kicked out of Pencey. I guess I wouldn't have done much differently, except I might not have jumped up to jitterbug with him in the middle of the night. That looks exhausting. I doubt she completely understood what was happening. She doesn't seem perturbed by the fact that Holden wants to avoid his parents. She doesn't question him when he hides in the closet but seems to understand him. I think Holden gave Phoebe his red hunting hat, because he always liked it. I think he wanted her to have it since he didn't know whether he would stay in New York or not. It is evident in this moment that Holden loves Phoebe dearly. The way he describes her is as if she can do now wrong. Likewise, I think Phoebe understands that her brother is struggling with himself, but I think she looks up to him and loves him so much that she chooses to overlook it.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to put myself into Phoebe's position, I would probably be feeling a lot of different things. First of all I would be confused on why Holden is home so early from school, and second, I would be happy that he is home. I would have probably talked to him more about coming home early from school, but I would have definitly done the same thing she did, in the aspect that her and her brother were having fun with each other. I don't think she fully understood what was happening, but I am pretty positive that she had some idea that her brother wasn't doing so well, because she must have know that her brother had been kicked out of an other school prior going to Pency Prep. I think that Holden gave her his red hunting hat so that she could have something that reminded her of him.
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