Describe Holden’s relationship with Phoebe from Ch. 21. Why is he so comfortable around her?
Holden is comfortable around Phoebe because of her age and how comfortable he is around children.
Regarding the third theme of our unit: Growing up/coming-of-age, how many times has Holden been told to “grow up” by other people? Is he an adult, or a child? With Holden and Phoebe, who’s the adult, and who’s the child here? Why is she so mad at him for getting kicked out of school again?
Holden has been told to grow up multiple times by his teachers and parents.He is a child because he refuses to face the real world. Phoebe is the adult. She doesn’t want their father to be mad at holden.
Holden loves talking to Phoebe—he hates talking to everyone else.…show more content… Sometimes it’s hard to concentrate.” The unreliable, mentally unstable narrator comes out again. Why does he have trouble “concentrating” when Phoebe asks him what he actually likes? Why wouldn’t he want to think about this? (Hint...Avoiding something painful?)
When Phoebe ask him what likes he has trouble saying it because of Allie.
Reflect on the incident with James Castle, the boy who commits suicide at Elkton Hills—why does Holden relate to a boy who killed himself rather than “take back something he said”? (Hint...Principals, standing to beliefs.) Note that James fell to his death.
Holden relates to James Castle because they both aren’t phony.
Is it just a coincidence that Holden also relates to Allie—another child character who’s dead?
Yes because all the characters around him that are similar are dead.
Think about the title passage: “I’d be the catcher in the rye and all.” Whenever you get to the section of any book that talks about the title of the novel, stop and think. Read the passage aloud again. Rye fields are empty fields of nothingness, and you can’t see what you’re running into when you’re in the rye. Think quietly for a few minutes, then pair up and talk about what you think the significance of the novel’s title is. Explain.
The novel's title has to do with holden’s life and it's nothing
