Holden’s claim that he loves the museum

Every since Holden was a little boy, he would always visit the Museum of Natural History. It was his favorite part of New York. He knew the museum like the back of his hand. Holden claims that he loves the Museum of Natural History because nothing ever changes. Since the age of a young boy and till now, the Eskimo is still fishing for the fish, the Native American woman still has her bum showing, and the birds are still “flying” in the air. The museum exhibits would and always will be in the right place. That was one of the reasons why he loved it so much. For Holden, the museum was a place for him to escape from reality. Everything there would stay the same. Holden didn’t adapt to change very well. He has that sort of personality. He wanted his own life to stay the same and never change. Holden’s love for the museum represents that he can’t adapt to reality. In the world we live in today, there will always be phonies. But, Holden can’t accept that fact and doesn’t understand why people change so often. He wants his life to be simple, never changing, and comprehendible. Another reason why Holden claims he loves the museum is because the exhibits will never judge him back, and he can do all the judging. We can tell from the book that Holden has a lot of interest in the museum. For example, he always ends up near there whenever he finds himself in some sort of problem. For instance, the time when he went on a date with Sally and got in a huge fight. He found himself walking towards the museum. And another example is when he is about to leave his family behind, but his last farewell place is near the museum. The museum is a big symbol in Holden’s life. He wants to cling onto something that he knows will never change.

The Cater in the Rye Cover page

I decided to draw my cover page of Holden smoking a cigarette in the streets of New York. As I was reading throughout the book, I realized that Holden is very depressed. He criticizes the people around him, calling them all phony. He isolates himself from the world and even his friends. That is why I drew Holden a lone, smoking his cigarette. The cigarette symbolizes the stress he has built up inside of him. Every time he exhales the smoke, it is him exhaling the stress and getting it out of his system. In the picture, the smoke shape is of duck. The reason for this is because throughout the book, Holden constantly mentions the duck to the taxi drivers. In English class, we learn that repetition means it is something important the author is trying to point out. The ducks could mean freedom, or even moving on. As we all know, the ducks tend to migrate when the climate becomes colder. Maybe, the author is trying to say Holden is trying to migrate from his past and start a new, better life. As you can see, the only object that I have colored in is the red hunting hat Holden has on his head. The reason of this is because the hat symbolizes the color of Allie's and Phoebe's hair color. No matter where he goes, he always has his two beloved siblings along with him. The hat gives him security and acts as a barrier for Holden. We realize that he always puts on his hat when he feels lonely or uneasy. Also, I drew Holden with the ear flaps down. There is an instance in the book, when Holden is walking on the streets and puts his earflaps down. To me, I believe he is doing so because he is muting the world out. 

Why do you think Holden cries before he leaves Pency?

Holden leaves Pency due to the fact that he cannot handle the morons and the phonies at his school. He realizes that it would be easier to leave earlier than the actual day he is supposed to. Before he left, Holden put on his red hunting cap and yelled out, “sleep tight ya morons!” Then after, he looks at the hallways and begins to cry. Holden starts to cry because he feels as if he never accomplishes anything. He never finishes what he has started. It could be the burden of being the only child in his family that is not successful in life. After being kicked out of a very prestigious school, and never having the chance to wear those hockey skates that his mother gave him makes him depressed inside. In the book, Holden portrays himself as a dark boy who is alone and usually finds himself thinking more than talking. Holden’s cries also portray the failures he has gone through. Not only did he fail almost all his classes, but he does not even have the guts to talk to a girl he has not kept in touch with for a really long time.  Personally, I believe Holden’s cries are full of shame for all the past mistakes he has made. Before he does cry, he puts on his red hunting cap. The red hunting cap is a symbol of his younger brother and sister’s hair color. Having that cap on his head makes him remind himself of his own childhood. Throughout the book, we realize that Holden always puts on his red hunting cap when he wants to be isolated from others. Kids find themselves isolating themselves from the problems they face. In a way, Holden is a kid. The red hunting cap makes him childish. That is why he cries before leaving Pency and yells out “sleep tight ya morons”.