Sorry my last post ended so abruptly. To be honest, I fell asleep. I hope you didn’t mind the cliffhanger:) I’m gonna pick up right where I left off.
Another theme that becomes very clear in this section is Holden’s sexuality. At the beginning of chapter 6, Holden actually gets so worried and fed up about Jane being on a date with Stradlater that he actually spells his profanity correctly. It’s very clear that he hates the way that Stradlater treats women. Later on, though, he refers to himself as “sexy” and “horny.” He calls a girl who “didn’t mind doing it once in a while,” just so he can have a companion. I think Holden just doesn’t understand his sexuality. He likes it and he doesn’t like it at the same time, but he can’t stay away from it, just like he can’t stay away from adulthood.
Holden is at a point in his life where he is unsure about anything and everything. He basically has the worst situation in every aspect of his life. He is resentful of sexuality. He’s skeptical about religion. He doesn’t have any strong relationships (at this point). These three things are the main things that people live for. One one hand it is terrible for Holden because at this point he has nothing to live for, but, on the other, every teenager can relate to him in some way. It doesn’t help Holden’s case that he doesn’t have any goals in life. Why should he if he has nothing to live for? Is it really a game if there’s no way you can win?
I’m making realizations of my own life through the journey of this book. To start off, I jumped into adulthood way too quickly. Now I know most teens do that, to an extent. What I’m living is much more than that. I work three jobs — 40 hours a week on top of 20 of high school as a senior. Honestly I regret jumping into “adulting” so quickly, but I would never go back. I do love my life, but now that I’m feeling the overwhelming stress of 60 hours of work a week, I’m terrified. When will it ever end? I have no idea. I’m just going to play the game until it’s on to the next level (hopefully the one I’m aiming for). On the other hand, I never was good at bonding with anybody, which led me into a life of lies for a very long time. Just like Holden, I was desperate to be with anyone who would accept me, no matter how sick or hurtful they were to me. Luckily, that “phase” only lasted a good three years, and luckily it’s well over now. I found companionship in my little sister (shocker) and my wonderful boyfriend, who I’ll never have to lie to. The final thing I’ve realized about myself thus far is less of a relation and more of a growth. You may know by now that this novel was the most censored book in libraries and schools in the US from 1961 to 1982 because of its profanity, sexuality, and views about religion. However, in seeing how depressing Holden’s life is without the aspects I spoke of before, my faith and joy have only grown.
I’m so excited to continue into this novel with you. I hope you realize so much more about yourself as well. Stick around for more lit information. Talk to you later:)
Emma’s Lit Blog 