After finishing the book

I was pretty satisfied with the ending mostly because it left Holden on a good note with Phoebe. I didn't want Holden to leave Phoebe to go on his adventure. I thought he was unnecessarily nasty to her when she wanted to go with him on his trip out west. Also, I thought a few things were really weird as I was finishing the book. I didn't expect the way that Holden got into talking about the kid James Castle who he attended Elkton Hills with. The whole story about how he just jumped out of the window I found to be pretty bizarre. What I found even more peculiar was Holden's teacher who he seemed to have a great relationship with, Mr. Antolini. I don't know why he was petting Holden's head when he woke up, but that part of the novel took me by surprise too. 

Writing Patterns

I've noticed a few patterns in the way that J.D. Salinger has Holden narrate the story. Multiple times Holden over exaggerates periods of times. He said something along the lines of "when he was a kid, 50 years ago" and he also commented on a woman who worked at Phoebe's school saying she was close to a hundred years old, which was most likely an exaggeration. Also, when Holden is talking about one event that occurred it always leads into him telling a whole new story about something else that happened. 

Blog #2

The more I read, the more difficult it is for me to remember that Holden is only 16 years old. So far, he has gone to a hotel by himself, visited two bars, and is now on his way to meet his friend Sally to go see a show. Holden seems to have a split personality because I have also noticed his sensitive side towards his sister Phoebe. The great bond that he has with his sibling is conspicuous. 

1/2 Way

When I first started reading The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield came off as an immature and arrogant teenager who was uninterested in his studies. He knew that his parents would be upset with his choices, but went through with them anyway. While reading, it becomes apparent that Holden has not released the anger and sadness that he still feels about his brother's death. This is clearly depicted when he writes about his brother's baseball mitt for his roommate, Stradlater's, essay. As the novel advances, the reader can see a side of Holden that is more mature as he stays in a hotel by himself and I remain interested in how his character will progress.