d. We first meet Phoebe the bottom of page 161. She displays some qualities and idiosyncrasies that otherwise Holden has found despicable in others such as interest in the new types of gadgets in cars, wanting to direct the conversation without regards to the needs of the person listening, naming people as a conversation, watches and criticizes movies, etc. Why do you believe Holden doesn’t draw the same conclusions about Phoebe that the does about the others he interacts with and accuses of phoniness?
Holden is a very negative-minded person. He always likes to point out how people are phony. The only time he is not pointing out phoniness is when he is talking (or thinking) about children. He is always very enthusiastic, happy, and positive towards children. That is why he does point out Phoebe's phoniness. Then the question arises: Why is Holden always positive toward children?
The answer to that is fairly simple, he wants to protect their innocence. He believes that children are originally very innocent and good at heart, but when they start growing they become phony, mean, and violent. For example when he says he wanted to become the catcher in the rye. It's like a field in which children are playing games, and beyond the field is a huge crater. Holden does not want the children fall into the crater. In this example the field of rye is childhood, the crater is adulthood, and the game they are playing is innocence. Holden wants to keep the children from falling into adulthood. He wants them to hold their innocence even when they grow older.
From the example above a conclusion can be drawn that Phoebe is a symbol of childhood in front of him, and he does not want to see that symbol lose its innocence and turn into a phony adult. Therefore he does not point out Phoebe's phoniness. He believes that she does not display any kind of phoniness and everything she does is merely due to her innocence. Even when she shows interest in the new types of gadgets in cars, wanting to direct the conversation without regards to the needs of the person listening, naming people as a conversation, watches and criticizes movies, etc. Holden does not find it phony, instead he finds it adorable. This is also why Holden always talks positively towards any kid.
I liked it how you answered the question within the question to avoid confusion. I agreed with your point saying that Holden can distinguish between innocence and phoniness. There was one part that I never thought about but I agree with. I was aware that childhood was an important part of the book but I never thought of Phoebe being a symbol of it. I liked it how you mentioned innocence as a game. Innocence is the advantage you can have in a game, but that can be lost easily without special
ReplyDeleteI liked it how you answered the question within the question to avoid confusion. I agreed with your point saying that Holden can distinguish between innocence and phoniness. There was one part that I never thought about but I agree with. I was aware that childhood was an important part of the book but I never thought of Phoebe being a symbol of it. I liked it how you mentioned innocence as a game. Innocence is the advantage you can have in a game, but that can be lost easily without special
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