Ch. 16 Blog Post- Holden at the Playground
At the end of chapter 16, Holden Caulfield is at a
children’s playground. J.D Salinger writes that Holden is watching and
observing two boys playing on the
seesaw. Holden notices that the sea saw isn’t even because one boy is fat
while the other boy is skinny. He goes over and pushes down on the skinny boy’s
side of the sea saw to even out the weight. The boys made it known that they
didn’t want Holden to be there, so Holden decided to leave. This part of the
chapter interested me the most. It made me feel uncomfortable, and that is
probably how the little boys felt too. This could possibly be a demonstration
of his crazy, madman type personality. On the other hand, Holden could have
been admiring their purity and adolescence. I think, that Holden desires to be
as pure as them. I think unknowingly he tries to act like a child, and do
things like a child. A part of him wants to be a child. It would have been
totally fine if a young child came up to the sea saw and helped the boy. But
the fact that it was a teenager makes it unacceptable and odd. Nowadays we
learn to run from strangers if they approach us. We know it is not good to talk
to strangers or be around them. Holden doesn’t want to accept this adult norm,
and he wishes to be carefree. He goes up to the children without boundaries,
and when he usually does something odd he calls himself out on it. He usually
says, “I’m crazy, I swear” or “I’m a madman”. This time he doesn’t say
anything. He thinks that what he did was perfectly normal. I believe that this
chapter shows the part of Holden that is still stuck in the adolescent world.
Do you think that this situation is a demonstration of Holden’s desire for
purity and his inability to accept the adult rules? Or do you think that Holden
is really a mad man in this situation? Is this a demonstration of his admiration
of purity or is he a creeper and madman? Explain you answer.
I think that this part of the book proves to us as readers that Holden is completely incapable of accepting the fact that he's just not a kid like he wishes to be. I feel like at a lot of different points in the book, Holden gets in a sort of dreamworld trying to remember certain stories or events when he was younger. I think that this was another time when he was just in his adolescent dream world and he sees himself in a different way then other people do. I do agree that this situation is a demonstration of Holden’s desire for purity and his inability to accept the adult rules, but I think it's for a different reason. I don't think that Holden was conscious of the fact that he was doing this. Even when Holden says that he is a madman, I don't think he is. I just think he is confused and is just trying to find something that will help him stay in the adolescent world. Whether that may be being a virgin, staring at little kids with jealousy, or even just talking to or remembering his younger brother. All in all, I believe that Holden is just trying to find ways to be a kid again.
ReplyDeleteFrom Holden's point of view he has not done anything wrong. It is not quite a desire of purity from Holden but more or a memory or feeling of being pure. Holden remembers when he was that age and the purity that he had. In all in my opinion Holden does not desire purity but rather just remembering. Holden is in admiration for the kids purity. He remembers his own purity and decides to push the other side of the seesaw. All in all Holden admires and remembers the purity that he once had.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Holden does admire the children's youth and spirit, but he wants to be "The Catcher in the Rye" and help kids and keep them safe. Helping out the skinny boy is an attempt to even the playing field, and maybe even assure himself that the world isn't unfair. He does not register his aid as creepy, because in his own mind he isn't a phony adult, someone the children should want to go away. Unfortunately, the children cannot see his good intentions, and they do react as if he were a creeper. Most of us probably wouldn't think of ourselves as "madmen" either if we were inclined to help out kids. I know I wouldn't, mainly because I babysit a lot, so I'm accustomed to the way small children behave and think. Holden should have realized that it was inappropriate to just stroll over and start joining in, but, overall, his actions weren't that bad, and it was worse for him than it was for those kids.
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