Mr. Antolini: A Catalyst for Change
The poet Robert Frost once wrote “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference”. In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, the troubled protagonist, Holden, shares this drive to be unique. Holden does not want to go along with popular opinion. He wants to be different and state his opinions however he has a hard time balancing sharing his opinions with respecting society. The constant hypocrisy in humanity depresses Holden. Throughout his journey through adolescence, he learns that the adult world is separated into two types of people; conformists and individuals. However, Holden does not come to these conclusions alone; people such as his old …show more content…
Antolini's questionable actions spark Holden to evaluate his own thoughts and behaviors. Holden greatly respects Mr. Antolini because, besides his siblings, he is the only adult that is not “phony”. Throughout the novel, Holden separates himself from society to protect his feelings. However, Mr. Antolini is a special person because he comes closer than anyone else to truly reaching and connecting with Holden. Unfortunately, Holden soon finds a reason to isolate himself from Mr. Antolini too. Holden suspects he is being flirty when “...he was sitting on the floor right next to the couch, in the dark and all, and he was sort of petting me or patting me on the goddamn head. Boy, I’ll bet I jumped a thousand feet” (192). Mr. Antolini claims he is admiring Holden but Holden interprets this as Mr. Antolini being gay and therefore labels him as a bad person. Of course, today this would not be a reason to resent someone but in the mid 1900s, gays were considered freaks or outcasts. At first, Holden reacts poorly and leaves Mr. Antolini’s home. However, from this experience, he learns that jumping to conclusions has negative consequences. Holden begins to question his former practices of quick judgment when he says “I even started thinking that even if he was a flit he certainly been very nice to me” (195). Holden recalls the kindness Mr. Antolini showed to him and others such as James and how he does not deserve to feel neglected. Throughout the novel, Holden has been quick to criticize everyone else, but this development in his character allows him to analyze his own behaviors instead of simply blaming others. Holden can now start to understand that no one is perfect, so dismissing people due to one minor flaw can end many possible friendships or relationships. Thanks to Mr. Antolini, Holden is able to become more understanding and begin to accept the faults in everyone, including
The poet Robert Frost once wrote “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference”. In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, the troubled protagonist, Holden, shares this drive to be unique. Holden does not want to go along with popular opinion. He wants to be different and state his opinions however he has a hard time balancing sharing his opinions with respecting society. The constant hypocrisy in humanity depresses Holden. Throughout his journey through adolescence, he learns that the adult world is separated into two types of people; conformists and individuals. However, Holden does not come to these conclusions alone; people such as his old …show more content…
Antolini's questionable actions spark Holden to evaluate his own thoughts and behaviors. Holden greatly respects Mr. Antolini because, besides his siblings, he is the only adult that is not “phony”. Throughout the novel, Holden separates himself from society to protect his feelings. However, Mr. Antolini is a special person because he comes closer than anyone else to truly reaching and connecting with Holden. Unfortunately, Holden soon finds a reason to isolate himself from Mr. Antolini too. Holden suspects he is being flirty when “...he was sitting on the floor right next to the couch, in the dark and all, and he was sort of petting me or patting me on the goddamn head. Boy, I’ll bet I jumped a thousand feet” (192). Mr. Antolini claims he is admiring Holden but Holden interprets this as Mr. Antolini being gay and therefore labels him as a bad person. Of course, today this would not be a reason to resent someone but in the mid 1900s, gays were considered freaks or outcasts. At first, Holden reacts poorly and leaves Mr. Antolini’s home. However, from this experience, he learns that jumping to conclusions has negative consequences. Holden begins to question his former practices of quick judgment when he says “I even started thinking that even if he was a flit he certainly been very nice to me” (195). Holden recalls the kindness Mr. Antolini showed to him and others such as James and how he does not deserve to feel neglected. Throughout the novel, Holden has been quick to criticize everyone else, but this development in his character allows him to analyze his own behaviors instead of simply blaming others. Holden can now start to understand that no one is perfect, so dismissing people due to one minor flaw can end many possible friendships or relationships. Thanks to Mr. Antolini, Holden is able to become more understanding and begin to accept the faults in everyone, including