Think back to last semester about the lesson we had about literary foils. Below is the definition of a foil:
In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character. A foil can be anything that serves by contrast to call attention to another thing's good qualities; "pretty girls like plain friends as foils." Remember too that one definition of foil is "a thin layer of polished metal placed under a displayed gem to lend it brilliance."
In Chapters 4 and 5 of Catcher, how do Robert Ackley and Ward Stradlater act as foils to Holden? How do their respective personalities illuminate something about Holden? What do you think about these characters? Please reference the text directly when possible.
Robert Ackley and Ward Stradlater act as foils to Holden by contrasting their different traits. Ackley's constant complaints about his fellow classmates contrasts with Holden's common description of people as "a pretty friendly guy". Stradlater acted as a foil when he asked Holden to write his English paper. This demonstrated that Holden was a little smart and possibly even "a hot-shot in English". Ackley and Stradlater both act as foils to Holden when they can't take a joke. Holden is constantly "horsing around", but Ackley and Stradlater seldom find humor in it. These characters show us the better qualities Holden posseses.
ReplyDeleteRobert Ackley and Ward Stradlater are foils to Holden because they both show Holden from different perspectives. To Ward, Holden is a friend but also a lesser who can be annoying at times. For example when Holden is joking around and puts Ward in a headlock on page 30, Ward is not amused and gets angry with Holden. Ward is the mature one in the friendship. Ward also thinks he is better than Holden. This is explained on page 28 when Holden states that because Ward is in love with himself, he thinks other people are also in love with him. Holden says this in response to when Ward asks him to write a paper for him. Robert is a foil to Holden because Holden views him as a lesser who is annoying at times. On page 25, Holden calls Robert “Ackley Kid”, Robert responds by saying that he is old enough to be his dad. This exaggeration annoys Holden and causes him to get frustrated with Robert. This is an example of how Holden is the “normal” one in the friendship. Robert and Ward show how the same person can be seen in two different ways.
ReplyDeleteAckley is a peculiar guy, he doesn't have many friends similar to Holden but he has a good reason for it. He is constantly getting mad at people and hating them. He also bothers people and does disgusting things in front of them like popping his pimples. Holden talks about how it disgusts him and he drops hints to get the message across to Robert but the message is never received. Ward Stradlater is a phony. He seems to be the exact guy Holden would hate but he actually puts up with him. Every now and then he comments on Ward's behavior. Obviously Holden has good hygiene habits because he comments on the bad habits of both Robert and Ward. Stradlater does not care about the actual details for instance telling Jane the message Holden sent about playing chess. Holden has a good memory and remembered details of Jane's life and seemed to care about her. When he relayed parts of her life to Ward, he seemed uninterested. Holden is a caring thoughtful guy and he has good intentions which is also displayed when he ends up writing the paper Stradlater asked him to. He is contrasted against these characters, in my opinion because they show his likable qualities.
ReplyDeleteAckley and Stradlater play the part of foils to Holden in the Catcher in the Rye. Ackley is a slob, according to Holden, and takes a long time preparing himself and getting ready. In contrast to Holden's impatient, easily-bored personality, Ackley appears very sluggish and boring. When Holden was complaining about his indolent actions, he states that he takes "his sweet time" and that it took him "about five hours to get ready". His behavior also exemplifies Holden's quick wit and sarcasm, as Ackley seems more ready to just mind his own business and make people wait on him. According to Holden, he "was the kind of guy who hates to answer you right away...". Ackley's character acts as a perfect foil to Holden, and really proves to the reader how random, witty, and impatient he is. Stradlater's character acts in a very similar manner, revealing again how impatient and random Holden is. He also demonstrates Holden's indecisiveness through his words, for example, when he told Holden "why don't you just go do it!" in response to Holden's pestering about going to see Jane Gallagher. These characters allow the reader to understand Holden's personality better, as Holden often comments on their behavior and relates it to his own, revealing things about himself without directly stating it. The reader can assume that he becomes very impatient and restless just from his actions and his commentary on both Ackley and Stradlater. All in all, both Stradlater and Ackley assist the reader in knowing Holden without actually having him state everything in the story; assuming things from his comments makes the book more interesting and engaging for the reader.
ReplyDeleteWard Stradlater is a foil to Holden, primarily in the form a physical body and male type of personality that contrasts with Holden's. Stradlater is described in the book once as a "sexy bastard", a somewhat envious name given to him by Holden with a sniff of jealousy regarding the fact that he is on a date with Holden's old friend, Jane. This is shown again during the scene where Holden gets Stradlater in an armlock and is easily dispatched once Stradlater physically attempts to make him stop. Holden's response is, "Stradlater is a very strong guy. I am a very weak guy.", an in-text contrast between Holden and Stradlater, and illuminating that part of Holden that wishes he was as handsome and physically strong of a guy as Stradlater, but is unable to because of past actions like smoking. This shows Holden as somewhat of a more feminine, weak character compared to Stradlater. On the other hand, Ackley as a character acts as a foil to Holden in showing Holden in an intelligent and mature light. Ackley always seems to appear as a somewhat dumb character, in his own world and not very conscious of other people, as shown when Holden drops him "a thousand hints" yet still is unable to get rid of him. Holden on the other hand, although flunking almost every class he is taking, appears much more mature, intelligent and patient when he is with Ackley.
ReplyDeleteYes, Eric. The lines "Stradlater is a very strong guy. I am a very weak guy," are also an example of a juxtaposition.
DeleteAckley and Stradlater are foils to Holden because they bring out certain quirks in Holden that we might not be able to see later in the book. They really grind Holden's gears in certain ways and show us personality traits in Holden. In chapters 4 and 5, we learn a lot about what annoys Holden and who his room mate is and who is always there to annoy him. It also shows us his amount of patience he has when it comes to coping with people who annoy him. Ackley seems very clingy and annoying to me, he never seems to leave Holden alone and is always eaves dropping or trying to figure out what Holden is doing in his own room. Whenever Holden says Ackley "barges through the shower curtains" it seems as if he has been there and wants to know what Holden is doing. Stradlater is a different character than Ackley. Stradlater is the ladies man of the two and always seems to have a date and is conceited from what Holden has said. This annoys Holden and maybe even makes him a bit jealous. It seems to me that Holden enjoys being alone at sometimes because he calls everyone a "sonuvabitch" or a "bastard" so it seems to me that he does not get along with many people.
ReplyDeleteI think Ackley is a foil to Holden in a way that his bad characteristics illuminate Holden's good ones. For example, despite Ackley's annoying attitude, Holden doesn't mind hanging out with him and going to the movies together. So wether Holden actually likes Ackley, this shows that he isn't exclusive about who he hangs out with and doesn't leave people out. I think Stradlater is a foil to Holden that brings out some good things and bad things about him. For example, Ward always has dates to prepare for, and girls to go with him to football games, while Holden doesn't go. This shows how lonely Holden's social life is. An example of a good thing about him, would be when Stradlater asked Holden " How bout writing a composition for me, for English?" (pg. 28). Despite the rude way he was asked, he still agrees to write it in the end. But he only does it so Stradlater could mention him to Jane. But due to Stradlater's in caring attitude, he probably doesn't want to do it. Also, Holden lets Ward wear his jacket. Even here, Ward says that he won't stretch it out. This shows that while Stradlater often makes empty promises, Holden always pulls his weight and is very reliable. So far, Ackley and Ward have shown many good and bad qualities about Holden.
ReplyDeleteRobert Ackley’s lack of personal hygiene and his pestering personality highlight Holden’s preference for being alone, and how much he is bothered by dirtiness. Similarly to how he was bothered in Spencer’s room by his professor’s “sad, ratty, old bathrobe,” Holden is disgusted by Ackley’s “mossy” teeth, pimples, and “crumby” fingernails. When Ackley fist bothers Holden he is reading alone and thinks “he could get on your nerves.” Holden is also bothered by his roommate, Ward Stradlater’s razor, which is full of “lather and hairs and crap.” Stradlater also acts as a foil to Holden’s utter lack of motivation. While Stradlater asks Holden to write an English paper for him since he is worried he will be “up the creek” if he does not turn it in. The line “I’m not going to be a goddam surgeon or violinist or anything anyway” shows how little Holden really cares about ever amounting to anything. Bother Ackley and Stradlater also illuminate Holden’s remarkable memory. He recalls everything from a passing comment Ackley made at a basketball game to every detail he had ever learned about a girl he lived next to.
ReplyDeletePhoebe, I like that you compare Holden's disgust with Ackley to his disgust in Spencer's room. Why might he be so bothered by hygiene and sickness?
DeleteRobert Ackley and Ward Stradlater are foils of Holden, by highlighting his better qualities. Stradlater obviously doesn't care about anyone else but himself. Stradlater makes sure that he looks gorgeous, and takes hours to get ready. He is extremely conceited, and he shows it. He walks around he and Holden's room without a shirt on just to show off his body. Stradlater has a very good body and is handsome, while Holden isn't as strong or handsome. This highlights that Holden might not be that good looking, but it mainly displays his humbleness. Stradlater also asks Holden to do his homework, and we obviously know that Holden would never ask someone to do that for him by the way Holden describes how he feels about this situation. On page 28, Holden says that since Stradlater is crazy about himself that means that Stradlater thinks everyone else should be too. Everyone should be dying to help Stradlater. Another good example of Stradlater foiling Holden is when Stradlater and Holden talk about Jane on pages 31- 33. Stradlater doesn’t care about her and leaves her waiting in the annex while he gets ready for a long time. Also, when Holden talks about her he doesn’t even acknowledge the nice things Holden says about her. This shows us that Holden really cares about people and has feelings and really isn’t rude to people. Another foil of Holden is Robert Ackley. Robert Ackley is gross and invasive and has no social skills. He doesn’t understand social etiquette and does things that would never be appropriate. He is a foil of Holden because even though he does the grossest and rudest things to Holden, Holden is still nice to him and treats him like a friend. Holden lets Ackley pick his pimples on his own pillow, and even though it bothers him, Holden doesn’t bluntly say to stop popping your gross pimples on my bed. Holden is nice enough to tell him that he has to work on something. Ackley shows us that Holden is a caring person, who feels bad for others that don’t have as many friends as he does or who just don’t get the right way to act and present themselves. Holden is a smart and caring person who has feelings for others and cares about them, and Robert Ackley and Ward Stradlater definitely make those traits of Holden’s shine
ReplyDeleteRobert Ackley and Ward Stradlater are foils toward Holden in catcher and the rye. Ward Strandlater personality is the definintion of narcissim. He is in love with himself and he is a ladies man. He always had women waiting for him in the annex day after day. He also always asks Holden for favors becasue he has dates or another social event to go too. Ward takes hours to get ready and is very into how he looks. Holden describes to readers that, "The reason he fixed himself up to look good was because he was madly in love with himself. He thought he was the handsomest guy in the western hempishere."(page 27) After reading the way Holden describes Ward, readers get the feeling that Holden is not as handsome or confident as Ward is. A sepcific example is when Holden decides to put Ward in a half nelson. Holden is able to hold on until Ward drops his razor and pulls holden right off. Holden later says on page 30 that Ward is strong and he is weak. This shows that Holden feels lower than Ward and is not as confident, but this also shows that Holden is a lot more humble than Ward is. Robert Ackley also acts like a foil towards Holden. Ackley never leaves Holden alone. Even if Holden is hinting at Ackley to leave it takes five hours for Ackley to get the hint and leave. Not many people like Ackley or even put up with him. In this story, Holden always puts up with Ackley and this shows Holden's patcine. Holden brings in humor to lighten up the mood with Ackley. As a reader, I think that Holden pays attention to Ackley because Ackley is always looking for him and not the other way around. Holden feels higher than Ackley because of the way he calls Ackley, "Ackley kid'. These two characters shape Holden as a character.
ReplyDeleteNikki, "The Catcher in the Rye" should be capitalized and punctuated as a title. Also, what do you mean when you say these two characters "shape" Holden? Do they? Do they create and mold him, or do you mean they illuminate something about him?
DeleteThe two foils Ackley and Stradlater both clompliment very different things about holden. First Ackley highlights Holdens respect and hygiene. When Ackley is first seen he has total disregard for Holdens privacy and what he cares about. For example him walking in on Holden in the shower and when he walks into his dorm and starts to touch and move everytghing. Also Holdens hygiene because he is desrcibed as having very dirty finger nails and tons of pimpils on his face. This shows that Holden is not a dirty person and takes good care of himself. Stradlater bring out the kindness and compassion in Holden. We see this when Stradlater is getting ready to go out and Holden knows the girl Stradlater is going out with. Holden begins to remember all the small deatails about thier rekationship and how she always played checkers with him. Stradlater on the other hand was more focused on sexual stuff. Both Stradlater and Ackley bring out some good qualities in Holden.
ReplyDeleteCarson, your ideas are great, but be careful about using correct grammar and capitalization in your blog responses. These are still academic writings, so they should be edited.
DeleteIf Holden was a gemstone, then Ackley and Stradlater would be different colored foil splitting their light through Holden. To begin with, neither is particularly interested in anything but material ideas such as appearance. This obsession contrasts Holden's hatred of "phonies", which perfectly describes both of them. Ackley is rather grotesque when he is described with pimples, bad sinuses, cracked fingernails, bad breathe, and dirty teeth. His rude behavior amplifies his unfortunate appearance. Walking around and picking up other peoples' possessions, and even laying down in Holden's bed, describing sex he never had, paints an image of a blundering and crass young man that most parents would not want their child rooming with. On the flip side, Stradlater appears well-groomed and well-mannered. Then you realize he is just as vulgar but in a less visible way. For example, Holden described his rasor as "rusty as hell and full of lather and hairs and crap" (pg. 27) He is a "secret slob". In essence, he keeps himself groomed, but he pays no attention to his things and how he impacts others. Holden even cracks a joke about how Jane should have clocked out for 9:30 in the morning rather than the evening, because she was going out with Stradlater. Basically, Holden calls Stradlader a player to his face, and Stradlader oafishly takes him completely seriously. If these are all characteristics that Holden is not, then he would be a considerate, gentlemanly, well-groomed, and he should not care about his appearance. From the way he behaves you would not believe that he had a good nature, so his nonchalant attitude must be fake.
ReplyDeleteGreat sentence: "If Holden was a gemstone, then Ackley and Stradlater would be different colored foil splitting their light through Holden."! I really appreciate that your blog responses are cleanly written and use a range of vocabulary.
DeleteAckley and Stradlater are foils to Holden because of how all three of their personalities clash. For example, Ackley is a very awkward, introverted, and unsanitary guy. On the other hand, you can tell that Holden is the opposite of this because he is very annoyed with all of Ackleys quirks. This brings out the normality and ordinary part of Holden that makes him seem fairly down to earth. This just shows us that he isn't so different and hard to relate to as he led on. Stradlater is a foil to Holden also because of the fact that he is described as a very cocky, energetic, and unmotivated when it comes to school. Not only does this make us realize how Holden lacks confidence, especially with girls, but also that holden might have a tough wall around him but doesn't necessarily feel that way on the inside. Both Ackley and Stradlater bring out some key characteristics in Holden that we may have not noticed without them.
ReplyDeleteHolden calls Robert Ackley a slob, which makes us believe that Holden must be at least average in that sense. Previously we believe that Holden must be a complete mess, but compared to Ackley it seems like Holden is amazing. Even though Holden is only passing one of his five classes, he appears to be a genius in comparison to Ackley due to his behavior. Ackley acts like a fool around Holden, and Holden is always commenting on how he finds Ackley annoying and stupid. This makes us think that Holden is a lot better than he actually is, thus making Ackley one of his foils. Ward Stradlater is also a foil to Holden. Stradlater also makes Holden appear smarter and more intelligent because he has Holden do his English paper for him. Since Holden is supposed to pretty much a failure at everything, this makes us reconsider that if Stradlater is asking him to not only do his essay, but dumb it down from Holden’s usual, above average (according to their English teacher) writing style, to a simper and far worse version. In addition, when Holden criticizes Stradlater thinking that his only problem was a few misplaced commas, thins makes us think that Holden is actually a lot smarter if he is actually criticizing other people and putting them below him. When Holden calls Stradlater a “Year Book kind of handsome guy,” this makes Holden appear to physically look worse, considering that, he also called Stradlater a slob. Even though he said that Stradlater was a “secret slob,” he calls Stradlater handsome, which he appears to generally never call people; Holden is making himself look worse because he is calling someone handsome, which leads us to believe that he must look a lot better than Holden. Ackley and Stradlater are both foils to Holden.
ReplyDeleteRobert Ackley and Ward Stradlater act as foils in The Catcher in the Rye. I think Ward Stradlater illuminates the sentimental and caring side of Holden. When Holden finds out that Jane Gallagher is Stradlater’s date he cannot stop talking about her. You are able to tell how much he really cares about her. This is shown when he would constantly repeat, “I thought she went to Shipley. I could've sworn she went to Shipley.” or “Give her my regards, willya?” Holden’s caring attributes are highlighted by Stradlater’s indifference. You can tell that Ward does not really care because he firstly says Jane’s name wrong and he does not really seem to know anything about her or even care about getting to know her. Stradlater is more concerned with shaving and fixing his own hair rather than listening to Holden talk about Jane. I think that Ackley illuminates Holden’s appreciation for good hygiene. Holden says, “He stuck around until dinnertime, talking about all of the guys at Pencey that he hated their guts, and squeezing this big pimple on his chin. Holden is always talking about how Ackley is popping his pimples and thinks that Ackley is gross, yet he still invites him to the movies, which I think shows that he is inclusive.
ReplyDeleteI like this sentence and observation: "Holden’s caring attributes are highlighted by Stradlater’s indifference."
DeleteRobert Ackley and Ward Stradlater act as foils to Holden because they both have very opposite personalities from him (although Ackley and Stradlater aren't similar to each other either). Ackley is a very blunt, nosy character that talks nonstop, and that doesn't respect other people's personal belongings. These characteristics highlight Holden's sarcasm, and how Holden tends to lie about random things. Stradlater is a very self-centered and social character. His socialness makes Holden seem to be even more of a loner. Personally, Stradlater is not my favorite character because he seems to be a little too self-centered. Ackley is slightly better. I like Ackley more because he seems nice enough, and I think it’s kind of funny how he just barges into Holden’s room and starts talking about random things and picking stuff up because this is exactly what my sister does to me, so I can definitely relate to Holden. Holden is by far my favorite character. I like his sarcasm, and I think that he’s really clever in the way that he views the world. He notices funny things about people, and talks to the reader of the book in a very upfront way. For example, on page 24 Holden says, “I call people a ‘prince’ quite often when I’m horsing around. It keeps me from getting bored or something.” For some reason, I thought this was a really funny line. It doesn’t really matter to me why Holden likes to call people a prince, but J. D. Salinger decided to let me know anyways.
ReplyDeleteAckley and Stradlater are foils to Holden in different ways and some similar ways. I think that they are both foils to bring out his bad traits more than his good traits. For example when Holden talks to Stradlater, Stradlater is all calm and when he mentions the name of his date he is interested that Holden knows her. Holden, however goes crazy and wants to know everything he knows and drills Stradlater for information. Holden also gets mad at Ackley for coming into his room and touching everything and moving things around, and later Holden goes into his room and won't leave and he is touching Ackley's things. I think they foil his immaturity for he also puts Stradlater in a headlock for almost no reason and later keeps on yelling at him and insulting him for no reason. On the other hand i think that they are a foil to his deep thinking, as he always goes into deep thought and they are just thinking on the surface. This could be used the other way around saying that Ackley and Stradlater are foils to him getting distracted easily and going on rants about his memories.
ReplyDeleteDaniel--I like your idea of these characters acting as foils to Holden's "deep thinking."
DeleteIn chapters 4 and 5, Holden's interactions with Ackley and Stradlater both give us a look at one part of Holden that becomes evident. Holden is an introvert. A character like Stradlater brings out how much Holden isn't as popular or as social. In chapter 3, Stradlater comes to the dorm from being out with his date and friends and finds Holden hanging out there with Ackley. Before Ackley showed up, Holden was just reading by himself, something he was enjoying. In chapter 4, when Holden is with Stradlater while he gets ready, they start talking about who Stradlater's date is and Holden finds out it's a girl he knew. Although Holden says how much he should go say hi, he decides just to stay up in the dorm. Eventually Stradlater leaves and Holden just goes back says he "just sat there for about a half hour after he left. I mean I just sat in my chair, not doing anything" while he thought about Jane and Stradlater on their date. Stradlater is an extrovert who acts as a foil to Holden, an introvert. Ackley manages to bring out the introvert in Holden as well, however. In chapter 3 when Ackley is trying to hang out with Holden while he's reading, Holden tells us about how much he would rather just read instead of make conversation. While part of this is because he's not the biggest fan of Ackley, I think it's also due to Holden being an introvert. In chapter 5, Holden goes with Mal Brossard and Ackley to see a movie. While their watching it Holden tells us he "didn't even enjoy sitting next to them in the movies." I think all of this shows that Holden really is an introvert. Stradlater and Ackley (maybe not as popular as Stradlater, but still more of an extrovert than Holden) both act as foils to Holden to bring this characteristic out.
ReplyDeleteGrant--this is an insightful response. Be careful with your use of "their", "they're", and "there." For example, when you wrote, "While their watching it..." you should have written "While THEY"RE watching it..."
DeleteRobert Ackley and Ward Stradlater both act as foils to Holden. These characters have almost opposite personalities, however, they seem to be in the book to show how just how much Holden excludes himself from other things. For example, when Ackley walks into the room, Holden keeps trying to read his book, not even making an attempt to socialize. He also criticizes every little thing Ackley does. He criticizes his hygiene, his habits, and his inability to listen. Each of these characters is therefore, also there to show how high Holden's standards really are, and maybe why he doesn't include himself in social activities, such as the football game. An example of this with Stradlater is when Holden and Stradlater are in the bathroom, and Holden constantly calls him conceited. I believe that these two characters also show how much Holden hyperbolizes. For example, Holden says that Ackley NEVER listens, or how he ALWAYS has annoying habits. It is common for teenagers to hyperbolize, but Holden takes this to the extreme. Ackley and Stradlater both bring out Holden;s personality: not really social, picky, and criticizing.
ReplyDeleteAckley and Stradlater are foils to Holden in that they are complete opposites of each other, but Holden is a mix between them. Ackley is gross and doesn't take care of himself very well. He doesn't brush his teeth, shave, or wash his face, as evidenced by his acne. Stradlater is the complete opposite. According to Holden, Stradlater is so worried about his looks that "he always shave[d] himself twice, to look gorgeous" and "it [takes] him an hour to comb his hair". While Holden isn't as handsome as Stradlater, he at least keeps himself well-groomed. Ackley is socially awkward and pretty much hates everyone, except for Holden. But Stradlater is a friendly guy, even if "it [is] partly a phony kind of friendly". He even tries to be nice to Ackley by saying hello to him, even though Ackley hates his guts. He is also pretty good with the ladies. Holden is a bit jealous of this because his date is Jane Gallagher, a girl from his neighborhood. He hardly knows her first name and he ignores Holden when he tells him stories about her from earlier. This shows that Stradlater is only into the "good stuff", if you know what I mean. Holden is a little awkward and a bit of a loner because he, like Ackley, didn't go to the football game with everyone else. But he isn't as bad as Ackley, who just annoys people for pleasure.
ReplyDeleteWard Stradlater and Robert Ackley are very obvious foils to Holden. We see this in the scuffle that Holden and Ward get into while Ward is trying to shave. Ward is known as the "hot-shot" or "ladies man" , whereas Holden is the typical quiet guy in the back of the class. What is interesting though is that Ward asked Holden for help with the composition, and Ward has a higher grade than Holden. This shows that despite the grades Holden makes, Ward has more intelligence or prior knowledge of the subject at hand than Holden does. However, he still wants seeks help from Holden out of pure laziness. Ackley is a foil to Holden because you get an image of a scrawny kid who always picks his pimples and asks a ton of questions. The author portrays both of the foils as extremes compared to each other and Holden. Also, when Holden asks Ackley if he wants to hang with Ward, you hear Ward feeling like "I don't want this guy around."
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ReplyDeleteWard Stradlater and Robert Ackley are the epitomes of a foil to Holden. I feel this way because I think that Robert and Ward are only friends with each other because of Holden. I think this because Ward and Robert are pretty close to the opposite in my opinion. One is a stud and somewhat narcissistic about himself and just about everyone knows him around campus and the other is a good working and semi introvert. This characteristics foil Holden perfectly in my view. Because Holden can absorb information from both of the two. He can learn some social skills from Ward because he thinks that everyone loves him and hes not afraid to approach anyone, clearly from the text when Ward asks Holden to write a report over a hundred pages when hes out for him and Holden says "I'm tho one flunking out of this school and your asking me to write an composition for ya!" And Ward responds " Yeah, I know. The thing is, though, I'll be up the creek if I don't get it in. Be a buddy. Be a buddyroo. Okay?" And this to me just shows that Ward thinks he can ask anyone to do things for him and expect them to say yes, and this is not the best trait but it could help Holden with some social skills so he can get some more friends. And now to Robert, he gets pretty good grades and Holden not so much, so with help of Robert and his study skills he could teach Holden to care a little and try just a little bit harder and maybe be able to stay at the school. Those are just two of the characteristics that I think are essential with Robert and Ward being the perfect foils to Holden.
ReplyDeleteHolden's unique characteristics are highlighted when he is compared to Robert Ackley and Ward Stradlater. Ackley is a perfect definition of nasty. He doesn't brush his teeth, his hair is tangles, "and not only that, he had a terrible personality," (19). Holden's description of Ackley's obsession with touching things signifies that personal privacy is important to Holden. As Ackley waltzes around Holden's room, Holden repeatedly mentions that Ackley shouldn't be touching all of his belongings. A characteristic that both Ackley and Stradlater share is that they both act like they are superior to Holden. Ackley acts very passive and bored when talking to Holden because "He didn't want you to thinking he was visiting you or anything. Stradlater's self obsession showed Holden's humility and how down to Earth Holden acts. Stradlater will shave twice after shaving; he does this, according to Holden, "to look gorgeous." This self confidence that boarders on narcissism is something that Holden never feels, instead Holden is a very humble and self-analytical person.
ReplyDeleteWard and Ackley are obvious foils to Holden. They both bring out different sides of Holden that you may not see without the two of them. In chapter 4 of the Catcher in the Rye when Holden and Ward get into a fight while ward is shaving brings out the "tuff" side of Holden when he is really the introvert, quiet kid. Ackley is the weird, awkward friend whom dosnt keep up with his hygiene. Holden dosnt like this which shows that he does keep his teeth brushed and his face shaved. Ackley dosnt respect the privacy of Holden which also makes him quite angry, because he dosnt like people touching his belongings. Ward feels that everyone is capable of doing favors for him, which is not true. Since Holden dosnt associate with many people, this may help Holden become more friendly. Ward and Ackley are perfect foils for Holden because they are almost the exact opposite of him. When Stradlater asks Holden to write his paper for him, it gives us the idea that Holden is maybe smart or else he wouldn't ask him. These Foils make Holden more noticeable and give people ideas different then that he is just a lonely boring kid.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel, the Catcher in the Rye, the protagonist, Holden, has his personality traits highlighted by his peers. In literary terms, these contrasting peers who are highlighting his traits are called foils. In this novel, Robert Ackley and Ward Stradlater are foils. For starters, Robert Ackley comes off as annoying, because he always comes into Holden’s room without permission, and messes up his furniture. Him being annoying, highlights Holden’s patience for everyone. Ward also brings out Holden’s patience because he kept on insisting for Holden to write his composition for him. Holden did not get angry when he kept on insisting. Once Ward left, Holden wrote his composition for him. Ward’s personality of making other people do his work, somewhat bullying, illuminates the personality trait of Holden being a nice guy. To me, I think that these characters are important factors to the novel, because if they were not put in the story, I do not think that the readers would think the same of Holden.
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