Why is Holden so obsessed with the ducks?
Holden is obsessed with the ducks at the Central Park Lagoon because they symbolize youthful innocence while demonstrating that change isn’t permanent, and survival is possible even in the harshest environment.
What do the Ducks symbolize to Holden?
The ducks and their pond are symbolic in several ways. Their mysterious perseverance in the face of an inhospitable environment resonates with Holden’s understanding of his own situation. The ducks vanish every winter, but they return every spring, thus symbolizing change that isn’t permanent, but cyclical.
What page does Holden ask about the ducks?
by J.D. Salinger. “I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over,” notes Holden in the second chapter of the novel. After that, he questions nearly every taxi driver about it and finally ends up by the lagoon himself one night in contemplation (chapter 20).
Why did Holden leave Elkton Hills?
Holden leaves Elkton Hills mainly because of the phonies he sees on the prep school campus. He describes them as “coming through the windows” because there are so many. It really is an excuse to “quit” because he was about to be kicked out of Elkton Hills because of his grades.
Is Holden a duck or a fish?
The fish symbolize everyone else but Holden is not a fish. All the other boys at Pencey Prep are taken care of by Mother Nature but Holden is different. He does not care about the fish because he is a duck. The ducks do not stay in the pond all winter; they have to leave, just like Holden had to leave Pencey.
Why does Holden wish disappear?
Not only does he feel that he cannot relate to anybody, but he doesn’t know how to deal with adult encounters, because they don’t fit neatly into the worldview he has constructed for himself. As a result, he makes the only decision that seems logical in such a situation: he decides to run away.
What is the golden ring Holden reaches for?
Despite wanting to prevent Phoebe from falling off the horse, Holden decides to let his sister and the other children reach for the ring. Symbolically, the golden ring represents maturity and adulthood. Phoebe reaching for the golden ring symbolically represents her attempt at becoming an adult.
What does Holden say about the ducks in Central Park?
Holden’s concern about the ducks in Central Park reveals that he is exceptionally kind-hearted, in spite of the cynical, negative attitude he typically expresses. The story takes place just before Christmas, which means that the weather is quite cold.
Who is Faith Cavendish Why does Holden call her?
Holden begins to feel aroused, so he calls Faith Cavendish, a promiscuous girl recommended to him by a boy he met at a party, and tries to make a date with her. She refuses, claiming she needs her beauty sleep.
Why does Holden get drunk?
Unbothered by Sally’s annoyance, he informs her multiple times that he’ll come over to help her trim the tree on Christmas Eve. By this point, Holden has spun completely out of control. Sad and alone, he gets drunk because he thinks this is a way to drown his feelings.
Why does Holden think about the ducks in Central Park when he is with Mr Spencer?
Holden is like the ducks, in that he thinks they have become so domesticated in Central Park that they have lost their homing instincts and abilities to fly south for the winter. He fears their caretakers, like his parents, have abandoned him.
What do movies symbolize in Catcher in the Rye?
Holden Caulfield hates the movies. Holden’s strong distaste for the movies symbolizes his dislike of people and the world itself. He believes that the world is full of phonies, and the movies seem to be a threshold for the phonies to display themselves to everyone.
What does Holden think of Mr Spencer?
In Chapter 2, Holden notes that his history teacher, Mr. Spencer, nods a lot when he’s listening to other people talk. Although Holden’s language shows that he has respect for Mr. Spencer (“he was a nice old guy”), it also reveals his characteristically critical nature (he “didn’t know his ass from his elbow”).
Why does Holden have depression?
Holden was 13 when Allie died, and his response to his brother’s death was quite severe—upon learning that Allie died, he spent the night in the garage, where he punched out all the windows with his bare hand. What is perhaps most alarming about Holden’s depression is that it tends to lead him to suicidal thoughts.
