Peter Tarkoy

Peter Tarkoy
The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger
Realistic Fiction
Just Right
Pg 78

1. The story is about Holden Caulfield, a twelve year old boy who goes to school in Pencey (located in Pennsylvania). It immediately takes you into a scene where he talks to his, now former, history teach. Holden was expelled from Pencey due to lack of effort and poor grades. He doesn't care. He has a roommate named "Ackley" whom he described as not-very-attractive, and large. They have an altercation and Holden leaves Pencey in the middle of the night. He had wondered how to say goodbye, and it turns out he doesn't at all. He leaves for New York and meets the mother of one of his "friends." He then goes on to lie to her about her son putting a false image in her mind that he is a nice and well-liked kid at Pencey. He gets to New York, and goes to a club where he dances with three girls who are as dumb as rocks. Then he goes to a hotel and sleeps.
2. I absolutely love this book! It is the best book I have ever read since Holes by Louis Sacher. I really love classic books like To Kill a Mockingbird, and Of Mice and Men. I have started to get used to the immense amount of writing and I really enjoy it. I love the deeper meaning and the careful placement of each event and scene to represent something, as seen in TKAM.
3. Lonliness. I see this theme when Holden felt that he needed to leave immediately from Pencey because of the altercation with his roommate. He saw that neither Ackley or Stradler wanted to be with him, so he felt necessary to leave. He was affected because he had to feel the pain of being alone, which in the end will make him stronger and more independent. I think this is what pushed him to go into New York by himself, the pain of rejection from the society of his school.
4. My favorite character is Holden Caulfield because I can easily relate to him. That is what I've heard about this book, is that it is a very easily relatable teenager talking about his life, as a reject. I'm not saying I'm a reject, but I can relate to the teenager part. I also like him because he is funny and he curses alot. For example, "'This sentence I'm reading is terrific' I can be quite sarcastic when I'm in the mood. He didn't get it, though." (21)
5. My least favorite character is Ackley because of one thing, and one thing only: he clipped his toenails in their room, right on the floor. This completely disgusted me and lowered my view of him as a person, along with everything else that Holden has described about his unclean habits.
   
6. I predict that Holden will go home to his parents and they will be very disappointed that he got kicked out--again.