Who is Holden as a person? (question 3)

Holden always used to be the quiet one of the group. He tried to stay out of trouble, as much as possible, though it never seemed to work out for him. Now as unbelievable as that sounds, by what I've learned about Holden; I can see him being successful if he's pushed to his limits.

Do you know when you are falling under everything. Either depression, being angry, etc. You always think of one person, or maybe even two. Yet usually in the end, there's usually one that helps you out the most. As for Holden, he completely forgot about his, until his roomate Stradlater reminded him of her.

Jane Gallagher, Holden's friend from a few years back, has returned and is going out with Stradlater. Holden doesn't like this idea, as Stradlater is known for his ways. Supposidely, Stradlater can get any girl he wants if he pleases. He has his charming ways, that Holden is somewhat jealous of, but wishes he never came across.

Now with Jane being back in Holden's life, he seems to be happier. He's trying to go out more often, talks to more people, remembers more of his past, wants to talk to his family members (more so his sister), etc. He does this in hope to see Jane one day.

Holden never used to care about a lot of things. He is the way he is, it seems. He doesn't care what others think of him, as long as he's living the life he pleases. It's not getting him very far, but it doesn't seem to be bothering him so much that he's going insane. Sure, Holden gets depressed. But let's just say that lovely Jane Gallagher is his drug. Whenever he thinks of her, he changes. He thinks more positive, acts more happy, actually smiles, and isn't depressed anymore.

Oh what one person can do to another...


Merideth

Is it possible to protect everything that matters to you?

In my opinion, I dont think it's humanly possible to protect everything that matters to you. No matter how much you ay attention to it, no matter how hard you hold onto it. If it's meant to go, it'll go.

Let's say you have this ring that your mother gave you. It was your great grandmothers engagement ring, and she thought it'd be right to give it to you. You'd want to protect that. Do you really think you could? You could try resizing it if it doesn't fit you, you could put it in your pocket, you could put it on a necklace to put it around your neck, you could put it in a safety box. Even then, it's still hard to protect it.

Another scenario; Let's say one of your loved ones comes home one night, and has bruises all over her. Her hair looks like she just got in a fight with mud, her face looks like she got in a fight with a bear, and her clothes almost look non existant. She tells you that there's a guy that attacks her everynight, and laughs when he beats her up. You're wondering what you can do to protect her, but you're always busy with your work, that you could never keep a protective eye over her. What do you do? Do you take a night off and find out who the person is? Do you hire someone to take care of her? That means less money for you, also. If you don't have that kind of extra money, then you're pretty much hopeless.

Now, to tie in with the book I'm reading in English class; Catcher in the Rye...
Not many things pop up into my head right away, for anyone to protect. Ackley doesn't care about anything. Holden doesn't have anything to protect, except for himself. He's a hard character to find out. You'd think he'd want to keep his respect up for school. He does, but he more so doesn't. He wants to keep his respect for people, yet doesn't for most, especially Stradlater. As for Stradlater, well he's quite the character. He always thinks he's better than everyone else in everything. With dating, he pretty much is, according to Holden. He is attractive, good with words, and knows exactly what to say in certian situations. Can Stradlater always protect his self righteousness? Or will Holden rat him out to the girls and everyone else in his life, about how he acts in the dorm? Could Holden own up to doing such a thing? Who knows...

Merideth