What makes Holden feel bad when he thinks about his parents?
Holden describes his mother as having a nervous condition that causes her to have terrible headaches, anxiety, and trouble sleeping. He feels guilty at the thought that he is a burden to her.
Why did Holden have to leave Ernie’s?
Why does Holden leave Ernie’s? Holden leaves Ernie’s because Lillian is becoming annoying. He would rather leave then spend more time talking to her. Holden becomes unimpressed with him and leaves.
What made Holden not so depressed?
He got her the “Little Shirley Beans” record. What made Holden “not so depressed anymore” on his way to the record store? The little boy singing as he was walking with his parents.
What is the big mess Holden gets into?
prostitute
Why is Holden not at the football game?
Holden is not attending the football game for two reasons, both of which reveal a good deal about his character. First, Holden is careless and sometimes irresponsible. As manager of the fencing team, he left the equipment on the subway en route to a meet that morning with McBurney School in New York City.
Why does Holden regret visiting Mr Spencer?
He regrets visiting Mr. Spencer because he hated being pointed at for example when Mr. Spencer read his paper in front of Holden. Also how he was in his bathrobe with his grippe and bumpy chest.
Is Holden in a mental hospital?
Holden (despite the confusion of the Harcourt Brace executive) is not crazy; he tells his story from a sanatorium (where he has gone because of a fear that he has t.b.), not a mental hospital.
Why is Holden standing on a hill at the beginning of the novel?
As the novel opens, Holden is standing beside a Revolutionary War-era cannon on top of Thomsen Hill, looking down at the football field where “practically the whole school except me was there.” This is an appropriate setting for the opening because it shows how Holden is symbolically isolated from his school and, by …
Why does Ackley annoy Holden?
For instance, Holden indicates his awareness that Ackley behaves in annoying ways because he is insecure and unpopular, but instead of trying to imagine what Ackley wants or why he does things, he focuses on Ackley’s surface—literally, his skin.
Where is Holden at the start of the story?
Where is Holden as the story begins? As the story begins, Holden is at a rest home that he was sent to for therapy. Where and what is Pencey Prep? Pencey Prep is a school in Pennsylvania that Holden attends, but he is not successful there.
What I was really hanging around for I was trying to feel some kind of a good by?
What I was really hanging around for, I was trying to feel some kind of a good-by. I mean I’ve left schools and places I didn’t even know I was leaving them. I hate that. I don’t care if it’s a sad good-by or a bad good-by, but when I leave a place I like to know I’m leaving it.
Why does the little boy singing make Holden feel better?
The little boy walking with his parents was singing “If a body catch a body coming through the rye”. Holden states that this made him feel better, and not so depressed anymore (129). Holden hates actors because he feels like they are full of themselves and they “never act like people” (130).
What dirty trick did Mr Spencer pull on Holden?
Spencer pulls the ultimate dirty trick on Holden. He pulls out Holden’s latest essay on the Egyptians and reads its aloud, right down to Holden’s self-degrading note: “I know this is junk, so it’s OK if you flunk me, don’t worry about it” (Ch. 2).
Does Holden hate football?
Before Holden leaves Pencey for good, he wants to say goodbye to Mr. Spencer. Holden gives two reasons for not attending the football game. Since Holden is being kicked out of Pencey, Spencer wanted to say goodbye and give him a lecture/pep talk about what he’s doing with his life, which Holden hates.
Why did Holden hate Mr Haas at Elkton Hills?
He also hates Elkton Hills because all the people there were phonies, especially the headmaster, Mr. Haas (he would act all friendly and charming around people’s parents, but if someone had funny-looking parents, he would go up to them and give a phony smile, and then go talk to someone else).
Who does Holden see instead of going to the game?
Holden says that his other reason for being up on Thomsen Hill, or at least not at the game, is that he is on his way to visit his history teacher Mr. Spencer, who is confined to his bedroom with the grippe. This hardly seems to explain why Holden would have climbed a hill to get to Mr. Spencer’s home.
What does Mr Spencer tell Holden about life?
“Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules.” Mr.
What does Mr Spencer want to speak with Holden about?
Mr. Spencer speaks frankly with Holden about his poor academic performance. Holden takes Mr. Spencer’s speech in stride, but internally he rails against his teacher’s insistence that “Life is a game” and that he must learn to follow the rules.
Why did Holden never call Jane?
Salinger shows that Jane is more important as a fantasy figure because Holden’s desire to see her in the present is vastly outweighed by his desire to continue to believe that she is as innocent as she was during their childhood, an thus he decides against calling Jane.
What is the difference between how Holden and Spencer feel?
Spencer reads his history report out loud, Holden feels embarrassed and ashamed because he didn’t do a very good job with it. He also feels a little disrespected that Mr. Spencer would embarrass him like that.
Why does Mr Spencer yell Good luck to Holden as he is leaving?
For Holden, luck is just a stupid phony saying when you can’t think of anything else to say to someone when they are leaving a place. He resents the implication that luck could help him anyway.
What advice does Mr Antolini give Holden?
Mr. Antolini’s advice to Holden about why he should apply himself to his studies is also unconventional. He recognizes that Holden is different from other students, and he validates Holden’s suffering and confusion by suggesting that one day they may be worth writing about.
Why is Mr Haas phony?
Haas, a businessman named Ossenburger, insincere handshakes and anything else done for show or half-heartedly, models and movies, and even Lieutenant Henry of A Farewell to Arms and the book itself—he describes all these as “phony.” His view of them as hypocritical, dishonest, or fake colors his perception of growing …
Why does Holden think adults are phony?
Holden characterizes “phonies” as people who are dishonest or fake about who they really are, or people who play a part just to fit into a society that Holden questions. Therefore, Holden hates “phonies” because they represent everything he fears or fights against, such as adulthood, conformity, and commercialism.
Why do ice skates make Holden sad?
Why does packing his ice skates make Holden feel sad? Holden reflects that his mother bought him this thoughtful gift, and he is disappointing her again by being expelled. Every time someone gives him a gift, it ends up making him sad. It had to do with her mother’s husband.
Why is Holden so worried about Stradlater’s date with Jane?
Holden is “nervous” about Stradlater going out with Jane because he knows Stradlater all too well. He respects Jane too much to think of trying to seduce her himself, and he hates to think of an unscrupulous phony as Stradlater taking advantage of the girl he loves.