CatcherKimKat

//Catcher In The Rye// Writing Assignment Kathleen Miles and Kim Pfeifer Symbol Of Choice: Phony/Pervert/Screwball

__**Pre-Writing**__
1) How does this motif come up in the novel, and how does it impact what is going on? What happened immediately preceding or immediately following a mention or discussion of this idea? 2) What is the mood when this idea or thing is brought up? Would you associate this with times when Holden is content? Frightened? Frantic? Confused? Was the mood consistent with every incidence of this motif?
 * This motif comes up in the story as a problem that Holden has with people. He hates how people act phony towards him, and rude. We can relate this to the beginning of the novel, when Stradlater and him get in a silly arguement thats taken too far. Stradlater for example, would be described as somewhat of a phony, in the sense that he fought Holden over a silly matter. Although Holden claims by the end of the novel he somewhat hates Stradlater, he admits that he's not that bad of a guy, and just that sometimes things would get out of hand. An example from the text is on page, chapter ,...
 * When the fight occurs between Stradlater and Holden, Holden's reaction is somewhat frightened. He mentions in the story as a child, that he was exposed to alot of violence and usually when something bad happens he gets nervous and begins to sweat.

3) Is Holden alone when this motif/symbol occurs? If not, with whom is he interacting? How would you characterize that interaction? Does this motif occur both when he is alone and when he is with other people? Is there a connection to be made? 4) What does this motif/symbol tell you about Holden, in a “big picture” way - Does this suggest anything about his personality? His weaknesses or strengths? His sense of himself?
 * Usually, Holden is not alone when it occurs. When talking about this motif, he is usually mentioning, how a person he is with is phony or perverted.
 * Holden came off as a very insecure person to begin with. When he mentioned toward the beginning of the novel about the death of his brother Allie, it was clear he still was emotionally attached to his brother, and hated the fact he was dead. That showed us as readers that he was somewhat a very emotional person. However, there were times when he gave the impression of being annoying, a "know-it-all", and other traits.

5) Tie it all together: Did any pattern emerge? Pick out other words or ideas used in conjunction with this motif. Look back on your investigation and come up with a single sentence that sums up what you’ve discovered.
 * Holden mentions in the beginning of the novel, somewhere near chapters 13-14, that as a child he had feared many things. Examples in the book that led up to that was when Stradlater punched him, the bellhop on the elevator that involved Sunny the prostitute, and his old english teacher he paid a visit to. All these things that ocured for Holden made it clear that situations like this happened a lot on a bad note. We can conclude while reading this novel that Holden was a very outgoing, fearful, and outspoken guy and he went through a lot.

OUTLINE

**I.** **Introduction** a. When people feel different emotions, sometimes, the fakeness and phoniness comes out. b. Holden witnesses many of the phony and screwball personalities in people, therefore, he is judgmental. i. Maurice The Bellhop ii. Stradlater iii. Mr. Spencer

**II.** **Maurice the Bellhop was an example of a phony person in Holden's life.** a. When Maurice and Holden first meet in Chapter Nine "..very old guy, around seventy five." i. Holden sees that he is very old and might have been there for a long time. b. Maurice fought with Holden due to some pricing disagreement. i. He punched Holden and threaten to tell Holden’s parents because he knew that Holden wasn’t twenty-two.

c. Things like this keep happening to Holden, having things happen to him, and in the end, it goes horribly wrong.

i.

**II.** **Stradlater is another example of a phony person in Holden's life** a. When Holden and Sradlater argue in Chapter 6 pg 44 "You don't even know if her first name is Jane or Jean, ya goddam moron!" i. This issue had to do with a girl Holden grew up with and admired dearly as someone maybe more then a friend. He found out Stradlater "took her out," and used her for his perverted selfish needs. Holden got offended. b. Holden asks Stradlater Chapter 6 pg 42 "Did you ask her if she still kept her kings in the back row?" Stradlater replied saying "No, i didn't ask her. What the hell ya think we did all night- play checkers for Chrissake? i. Holden feels unresponsive and disrespected at this point. All he wanted was Stradlater to not be such a phony, because he hoped Stradlater knew Jane ment a lot to him in some way, but Stradlater kept making fun of Holden's questions, and he got even more furious.  c. Chapter 6 pg 44 Stradlater says "I'm warning you, now. For the last time. If you don't keep your yap shut..." Holden replies "Why should I? That's just the trouble with all you morons. You never want to discuss anything. That's the way you can always tell a person." i. Holden was trying to tell Stradlater that he a major asshole and has no respect for girls and their needs. He was trying to point out that he would of treated Jane way better then Stradlater did, and is almost envious Stradlater got to see her and Holden didn't. It bothered him to see a "moron" do such a thing to the sweet funny girl he used to play checkers with.

a. He is at home in a bathrobe, suffering from a cold when Holden visits him for the last time. i. Holden was upset for saying goodbye to him, because the whole time, he was asking him questions and grilling him about his future. b. Everything that Mr. Spencer was saying to him, about how to improve his future, Holden thought was not going to work, and it will never help him in the long run. i. The phoniness that Holden saw, was that he was lying to him about all of the advice. c. Holden goes to Spencer only to tell him that he was leaving Pencey. i.
 * IV.** **Mr. Spencer is another example of a phony person in Holden’s life.**

**V.** **Conclusion** a. Holden witnesses many of the phony and screwball personalities in people, therefore, he is judgmental. i. Maurice the bellhop doesn't pay Holden the respect he deserved. 1. Holden payed the money he owed to the prostitute Sunny, making sure it was 5 dollars when apparently Maurice told him in the elevator that it was 10 for the time he had with her. This caused Holden to defend himself and Maurice had to pry to money out of his wallet. Holden was convinced he was a phony just stealing money from him. ii. Stradlater was an annoying roomate, given the fact that Holden and him didn't agree on certain subjects. 1. When Holden was trying to talk to Stradlater about Jane, Stradlater didn't feel the need to explain himself. Holden got the impression of being Stradlater being a "phony" about it, and also got frustrated from the responses Stradlater would give him he could tell Jane wasn't treated all that well. iii. Mr. Spencer was a lost man always drunk and not tuned in to reality sometimes.

Holden back at the hotel room woke up with Mr Spencer petting his head. He was extremely freaked out to the point where he just had to leave. This being as freaky as it was for Holden, brought back memories of when he was a kid. iv. Its clear that we can say Holden has witnessed many phonies, screw-balls, and morons during his lifetime that have effected him in some sort of way.

When people feel different emotions, sometimes, the fakeness and phoniness comes out. In Catcher In The Rye, the main character, Holden Claufield, encounters many different people in his life. Most of them, as he recalls, are phony, screwball, mean people. Specificly, 3people have had many problems witth Holden throughout the novel. His roommate, Strallater, his teacher, Mr Spencer, and a Bellhop, Maurice, he meets at a hotel. Holden witnesses many of the phony and screwball personalities in people, therefore, he is judgmental. Towards the beginning of the novel, Holden checks into a hotel, that he was planning on staying in for a short amount of time. When Maurice and Holden first meet in Chapter Nine he describes him as a "..very old guy, around seventy five." He didn’t really think of him as anything more than a old man ding his job. Holden sees that he is very old and might have been there for a long time. Maurice offers him, later on in the story, the chance to be with a prostitute, for only five dollars. Hodlen accepted, but then he punches Holden and threatens to tell Holden’s parents because he knew that Holden wasn’t twenty-two. Holden then realizes that there are people like this all over. Adults that tell you one thing, but they mean something completely different. Mr Spencer is another example of a phony person is holdens life. He was on of his favorite teachers at Pencey, the school he went to. When Holden decides he is going to run away from home to start a new life, he wants to say goodbye to “Ol’ Spencer.” He is at home in a bathrobe, suffering from a cold when Holden visits him for the last time. Holden was upset for saying goodbye to him, because the whole time, he was asking him questions and grilling him about his future. Everything that Mr. Spencer was saying to him, he thought was not going to work, and it will never help him in the long run. The phoniness that Holden saw, was that he was lying to him about all of the advice.

While Holden is attending school at Pencey, he dorms with this guy Stradlater, who turns out to be a big phony. For the most part, Holden and him did not get along. They would hold grudges and yell at each other for the silliest things. However, an argument that effected Holden in some way took place right before Holden dropped out of Pencey and left. It had to do with Jane; a young girl Holden was neighbors with, and whom he hung out with everyday. When Holden and Sradlater argue in Chapter 6 PG 44 "You don't even know if her first name is Jane or Jean, ya goddam moron!" The issue was that Stradlater “took Jane out,” and it bothered Holden a lot. Also, Holden asks Stradlater Chapter 6 PG 42 "Did you ask her if she still kept her kings in the back row?" Stradlater replied saying, "No, I didn't ask her. What the hell ya think we did all night- play checkers for Chrissake?” At that point, Holden feels unresponsive and disrespected, and all he wanted was for Stradlater to not be such a phony, because the way he acted towards girls, Holden felt was unacceptable.    Although Holden went through a lot in his life and handled things a person normally wouldn’t handle, he still turned out to be a pretty bright guy. He came across phonies, screwballs, and know-it-alls throughout his life. But once he came across certain situations, he already had knowledge of how to handle them, and any further situations that came his way. He went through a lot, from when his brother passed, dealing with Maurice the bellhop, Stradlater, Mr. Spencer, and all the other people he had to put up with. Overall, these phonies and things that happened to him not only affected him, but also in the end, made Holden a better person inside and out.