The Last Lecture

In act one Linda says of Willy “He is not the finest character that ever lived. But he is a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him” How sympathetic are you with her view of Willy’s plight? Throughout the play we see many of Willy’s qualities; some good, some bad. We’re introduced to Willy in a negative way, within the first few pages it becomes clear that Willy is very short tempered; for example, when he says “I don't want a change, I want swiss cheese. Why am I always…

Catcher in the Rye is a classic book published in 1951.The author is J. D. Salinger who is a wonderful writer who had died back in 2010 at the ripe age of 91 years old. The book got mixed reviews mostly because of its “vulgar language” because it dared to drop the “F bomb”. It ventures into the mind of Holden Caulfield who had recently gone through a death in the family. This book hits all the major points that some of the other books were afraid to dwell on. Some of these points are depression,…

Protagonist’s play a very important role in the novel as a whole but as well as the development of the storyline. By definition, a protagonist is “the principal character in a literary work (as a drama or story).” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) Each protagonist develops and matures as the novel does as well. Through the storyline protagonists also develop and mature in response to the events that they experience. In the following four novels, the protagonist’s involvement in the occasions of the…

If there’s one thing Holden Caulfield hates most, it’s phonies. Throughout the whole novel, Holden points out when someone is being phony or being fake, being precise with every detail. Most people he comes across happen to be “phony” or doing phony things. Regardless of what Holden may say or think about others, he is also a phony. Everytime he speaks to someone a lie comes out and he’s often portrayed doing phony things. By calling others phonies, it makes it easier for him to deal with…

The Outsiders S.E. Hinton’s novel, The Outsiders takes place in 1960’s Tulsa, Oklahoma where the town is separated into Socs and Greasers. Ponyboy, a young greaser, is a young boy who is still considered innocent. However, after Pony witnesses one of his friend’s murder a soc, his life changes forever. He must grow up and mature after a series of unfortunate events. One theme the novel suggest is to cherish your innocence, before it’s too late. In chapter 4, Ponyboy and Johnny realized they…

This quote was interesting because it revealed a more childish and curious side to Holden’s typical angsty character. Salinger uses the ducks in the pack as a metaphor to represent change, something Holden fears, due to them migrating during different seasons. Holden question of where will the ducks go, is actually a question for his future after running away from Pencey. This resonates with since I share the same question of “What will happen to me in the future” due to college being just…

Holden Caulfield is a 17 year old, who just got expelled from Pencey Prep, for failing all his classes except English. He makes it clear that he doesn’t feel sad about leaving the school because he didn’t connect with his fellow students. When he was at his dorm room his other roommates came in, the one telling him about his date tonight with Jane Gallagher, a friend of Holden. The roommate talks Holden into doing a homework assignment for him while he’s out. He writes about his deceased…

In J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the author uses symbolic images that the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, encounters. Holden in the novel goes through several life obstacles and tries to find acceptance to adulthood. Throughout the novel, Holden often acts the opposite of society and wishes for the present day to have more of the nostalgia he had in the past. The Catcher in the Rye illustrates how Holden tries to find stability and acceptance in a broken society full of phonies…

The familiarity of Holden’s apartment allows Holden to feel an uncommon sensation of ease and relaxation. When Holden first arrives at his apartment, he immediately feels different: “Our foyer has a funny smell that doesn’t smell like anyplace else. It isn’t cauliflower and it isn’t perfume – I don’t know that the hell it is – but you always know when you’re home” (158). Holden’s ability to “know” when he is home thoroughly demonstrates how Holden is able to feel relaxed in his household. Holden…

From early on in the book Holden exemplifies to the reader that he does not take pleasure in the activities everyone else enjoys. He plans on not prioritizing unimportant events like sports games. When Pencey Prep was playing in the last football game of the season Holden watches over the field and says he could hear the crowd roaring “because practically the whole school except me was there” (1). When the students are doing one thing Holden chooses to be alone and finds something…