The catcher in the rye by Selma Carlstein

Jacob Persson Week 1

2017-10-05 14:46:59 UTC

I expect this book to be like a life story which mean that I think that I will like it. In the other hand, sometimes I think that it will be really boring cause it seems like it´s a life story. I don´t recall that I have read something that have been as popular as this book. There is a book called “On the road” that may be this popular. I think it´s hard to tell. The main character in this book (The catcher in the rye) is teenager named Holden Caulfield and he is a student who always seems to have bad grades which means he has been kicked out of a couple of schools already. Apart from that he seems to be a nice kid. All though he lies a bit too much and he seems to have a few life troubles that makes him less happy. I think we will see him evolve into a better person because it seems like he wants to become a better person.

Selma Carlstein Week 1

2017-10-05 20:06:34 UTC

1. As almost every time I start reading a new book I don’t really know what to expect. But I guess that It will according to its many readers (which probably do not entirely depend on a coincident) and good reputation will have a rather interesting story and meaning.

As Jacob wrote I have also read the book called “on the road” which is a very famous book, read by many. Although I think that this one will differ a lot from Jack Kerouacs novel bout in genre and story. I also hope that its more of an “easy digested” plot or so.

The main character is called Holden Caulfield a 16-year-old teenager tired and careless. He is quite precocious, bitter in a way you would only be able to picture an old man to be , but still immature and careless. Like when he is in his teachers’ home getting a reprimand for his bad engagement in school his thoughts are quite immature but showing a mature manner. It feels like he adapts his way of speaking depending on who he talks to, to get what/where he wants. Like when he is speaking to Ackley in difference to when he talks to his teacher.

Serpil Emin Week 1

2017-10-06 06:07:28 UTC

I don’t actually have big expectations. But it will maybe surprise me in a good way. I never read a book like this one and I think that is why I found it interesting to read, in some way. (I don’t mean that the story is interesting, but I could not list out what made me continue reading.)
The main character is Holden Caulfield, a teenager from New York city. He is intelligent and pretty sensitive. He tries to protect himself from the pain and disappointment of the adult world.

Leo Olausson week 1

leotrummor — 2017-10-06 07:21:10 UTC

I don't know my expectations because I don't read a lot. The story seems really absent right know because there isn't really much happening. I like Holden, he's a really intelligent and cool dude who does't care a lot.

Selma Carlstein Week 2

semlanc — 2017-10-13 15:23:13 UTC

1. I think him lying is a sort of self-protection. Or a way to escape from reality. At the same time, I think he enjoys it, making up stories and characters for example when he was on the train. Its rather entertaining really. Anyhow I still think that most the things he makeup is a way to maintain his emotions from expolding. For instance, he spoke very briefly about his brother Allies death. Which definetly has caused him pain. I think that the suffering from this have changed Holden from how he might have used to be. He is a smart kid I really do think so but somehow he has given up and I think it has to do with his brother’s death. Which probably also have had its impact on Holden’s selective acceptance for people in general. He seems to search for wrongs and disadvantages.

I don’t know exactly how his state of mind have changed throughout the novel but I would say he is showing some more of his vulnerable and emotional side. Like his emotions towards Jane or when he gets more or less humiliated by those three women in the nightclub. Despite that I would still call him a pessimist.

Emilia Carlsson Week 1

emilia_c1 — 2017-10-15 18:35:35 UTC

I don’t expect that much from this novel actually. I know I haven’t read that much yet, but I don’t think this is an interesting or captivating book at all, at least not yet.
I have read a lot of novels before and in my experience the book doesn’t have to be that good even if it’s popular, it all depends on what genre you like and so on.
The main character in this novel is Holden Caulfield, I guess he’s pretty intelligent but I also think he’s kind off uncomfortable in his own skin which makes him un unsympathetic person. I haven’t got that good sight of him yet. I think he will change for the better further into the book.

Leo Olausson Week 2

2017-10-19 14:56:17 UTC

1. Holden is a very complicated character. He feels like a really cool and calm guy even though he's lying a lot to get out of unknown situations. I think that the lies he makes up is to keep him calm because he don't want to face the reality in which he's living in.

I feel like the more we are coming in to the story the more we get to know Holden. He's becoming more and more open towards us, the readers. Explaining his emotions and his

vulnerability in more detailed way. We get to know him better. I'm hoping for some sort of climax in the near future because I really feel like I actually care about him know.  The climax will wait though I think.

Jacob Persson Week 2

2017-10-19 17:24:57 UTC

Holden is lying a lot yes. I think he lies because he sometimes is unsure about himself and don´t want others to know the real happenings in his life. It could be due to that he doesn´t want his loved ones to be disappointed in him. That could be why he has a lot of feelings towards other people. For the reason that he doesn’t want other to hurt him or his feelings. The feelings are both good and bad and in the beginning his feelings where more negative to life but when he finally decides to leave the school he gets more exiting about his life. Like the model sais in the beginning it didn´t happen so much, it started with a soft beginning. When the story developed it began to be more “action”. Now Holden lives at a hotel/motel where he just was in the red room, I recall it was called, where he met three women who wasn´t so nice to him. In the end we can also see how he becomes this more emotional guy, he gets offended by the girls and he really takes it personal but he keeps calm any way so he is a very calm guy.

Serpil Emin Week 2

2017-10-20 06:35:04 UTC

He seems to always feel the necessity to lie rather than telling the truth. I think that he is doing that to isolate himself from people because he doesn’t allow himself to be who he really is. He is, for example, continually lying about his age in order to get served alcohol. He tries to make people believe that he has a different reality.
We get to know more about him and his psychological breakdown the further we come into the story. We also get to see his emotional side. But nothing notable actually happens, he just continues to criticize people.

Selma Carlstein Week 3

semlanc — 2017-10-20 07:21:11 UTC

Holden thinks a lot about persons overall so therefore he also has a lot of thoughts about women. He does not necessarily hate people or women for that sake. But when he has got his first impression of someone it’s hard for them to change it. I think he has quite some preconceptions also. I think he likes women but just the mother figures. Women of his age or so he tends to talk about as sexualobjects way too often. The whole thing that he with little doubt choose to have a prostitute over is just a great way to dehumanise women. In that frecuency when she the prostitute is in his room he never really cares about her even though he obviously thinks it’s down grading profession. All he seems to care about is that she was too straight on and in his eyes cocky and unable to make him erect.

Holden is a spender, which he knows. Even when he knows he doesn’t have a lot of money he spends it or tries to treat. Like when he offered those two nuns to pay their breakfast even after giving them money to charity.

Well religion, his conflict with it is probably found in his family where his two parents are parts of different religions. He says he likes Jesus but is uncertain in what way. The thing he does not like is the people. I don’t think it is a coincident, he never likes people… He thinks religious people are pushing always trying to figure out if you also are religious or not.

Serpil Emin Week 3

2017-10-20 07:56:57 UTC

I think that Holden sees women as phony. He has often contradictory feeling about them. On the other hand, Holden sees Jane as a perfect girl. He actually wants to have a girlfriend, but at the same time is desperately afraid as well.

Holden seems not caring much about money. For example, we get to know that he forgets to pick up his change, at restaurants and night clubs. We also get to know that his parents are quite wealthy. That is why he spends money about worrying too much, because he always got what he needed.

Holden has had some religious influence in his life. For example, when the prostitute leaves him in his hotel room. He felt like praying, when he was in bed. We also get to know that he a sort of an atheist. He likes Jesus, but don’t care too much for most of the other stuff in the Bible.

Selma Carlstein Week 4

semlanc — 2017-11-01 11:06:04 UTC

1. I think he grown to be more pessimistic with in itself is pretty typical for elderly bitter men but for some reason I get the feeling that he has grown to become childish for he is completely uncompromising. I would not like to be his friend, and I don’t like his tunnel seeing his opinions neither his distasteful and unilateral judgemental way. Although I in some way I do understand his actions, He is young, and he has been trough much. He is also very, very lonely sometimes it is almost like you could smell his desperation of being someone or to be liked- once he isn’t interesting enough he instead of trying becomes rude. I would like for him to have more people to care for him but what he misses is the care for others so therefore I would not like to be the affectionate friend, since I wouldn’t get much back.

2.I completely, utterly agree with you he is very childish in that matter since he always expect people to think, act and agree with his plans, like for instance when he asked Sally if shed care to join him in his “runaway attempt” and her answer was no. His reactions once someone seem not to agree are always the same, he becomes angry, loud and irritated and refuses to understand others point of view. He always wants things to go exactly his way.

3. Well I have already countered this earlier, I think that because of Allies funeral and all he is more aware of death. As when he walks drunk to the duck pond to see if the ducks are there. Somehow, he starts to think about death, he worries about getting pneumonia or trip into the freezing pond and die, he talks about how his funeral would be and then remembers that he never went to Allies funeral. He claims that it was because he had to go to the hospital, for he had hurt his hands while breaking the garage window out of anger and sorrow. He talks about death quite easily and sometimes a little too much for instance when he starts thinking about going to the army, he says he would might as well die than get there. Death always seems to be around Holden.

4.He seems completely satisfied for once, not questioning no mean comments, noting to complain about otherwise there is always something that makes him upset.While he is reading trough her notes he is peaceful.

Emilia Carlsson Week 2

emilia_c1 — 2017-11-05 14:27:22 UTC

^{Holden is lying a lot, but I guess it’s in order to protect himself. I would say he’s a broken person and not very trusting one. He’s short tempered, has his own opinion about people, hates people who are fake and he’s not that super intelligent himself. But I also get the feeling that he’s lonesome and depressed. I guess why he’s like this is because of his little brother Allies death. His reaction when his brother died was drastic, which maybe caused the way he is. Maybe he has always been a person just like this, but its very likely that it added some more anger to him.
I think it has been easy to see what kind of person Holden is since the beginning of the book. But I feel like he’s been showing another side of himself more further into the book. A more emotional side by crying about stuff and talking a lot about Jane and so on. But also he has become more depressed and I think it got worse since the fight with Stradlater. After the fight he actually started packing his bag and then he left the house.}

Emilia Carlsson Week 3

emilia_c1 — 2017-11-05 16:03:32 UTC

A. I don’t really know what he thinks about women actually, I have gotten different views of it. Sometimes I think he appreciate women, but also I get the feeling that he thinks they are annoying just because they aren’t always listening to him. I do think he likes older women more than the girls in his own age though. I know he has been having some good conversations with older women so I guess he has different opinions about what he actually thinks. To summarize I think he appreciate older women, but that he isn’t that fond of the younger ones.
B. Holden is a pretty good spender I would say. He says himself “what I don’t spend, I loose”. What he means with “loosing money” is that he forgets the change at the restaurants sometimes. I guess it all comes from his fathers relationship with money. His father is wealthy so I think Holden has been pretty spoiled as a child. Because of that he maybe doesn’t have that much respect for money.
C. Holden isn’t that fond of religion, he says that every religious person just wants to find out if you are religious or not. Which he thinks is a conversation destroyer, he doesn’t think it's nice at all. His father has been catholic but he quit when he married Holden’s mother. So he does have some sort of relationship with religion.

Emilia Carlsson Week

emilia_c1 — 2017-11-09 21:35:43 UTC

A. I would say Holden has changed a lot through the book. At first I thought Holden was an unsympathetic person in many ways. He looked at most things very negatively and to be honest he wasn't very positive at all actually. I still think he seems to be a negative person in general but I actually do think he has grown as a person. I would say he has opened up more towards people in his surroundings and he seems to be showing more emotions. Although he's changed I still think he's very judgemental towards other people, which in my opinion indicates uncertainty. Maybe that's his defence mechanism though. After all he has gone through a lot so I guess you can't expect to much from him in that young age.

B. I agree with you on that point, I do think he act very strange sometimes. I get the feeling that according to himself, he is the only "trustworthy". He seems to be pretty introvert which isn't that good if you want to live on your own as he does. Because at some point you will have to get together and collaborate with someone else and he seems to have problem with that. I would actually say he doesn't take life seriously, he does whatever he wants and feels like in the moment. In that way he, he seems quite childish to me.

C. The death of Allie has affected Holden a lot. I think it's a contributory reason to why he acts the way he does. At one point he is on his way to the pond, he is drunk and I guess that made him think a lot. Anyways he started thinking about his little brother's death, which he seems to be close to all the time pretty much. He also somehow started worrying about himself falling into the frozen pond and die. So yes, I guess he has been affected by Allies death pretty bad.

D. When Holden is reading through Phoebe’s notebooks you get to see another part of him, a part of him that we actually haven’t seen that much off earlier. A vulnerable and calm person who for the first time actually is really interested in something and really cares about what he is doing in the moment without beeing mean or negative.

Jacob Persson week 3

2017-11-10 16:58:45 UTC

You never get a clear insight what Holden really thinks about women but I get the feeling that he likes older women more than the ones in his own age. He is not that nice to women overall and he always says the wrong thing. We can that he like older women more when for instance, on the subway when he meets this woman, who is a mom to a fellow student, that he really gets along with but also the women in the red room. You can clearly see that he says the wrong things when he, for instance, is on a date with a girl in his age that does not go as he had hoped.

It seems like he does not care about losing money. For example, he never keeps the change when he is shopping. I think it is because his father is rather wealthy and have there for been spoiled as a child. In conclusion, he is a real spender.

Holden is not that fond of religion. It could be because his parents are not that catholic, they belong to different religions actually, and has there for grown up without religion. Then he mentions that he actually likes Jesus but that he is unsure in what way.

Jacob Persson week 4

2017-11-26 11:00:12 UTC

I think he has grown into being gloomier and to become more hateful to other people. He does not like them. A person who acts like Holden do in the book is not a person I would like to be friends with. He is a person who troughs out any opinion before thinking of the consequences.

I totally agree with that opinion. He is really childish in a sort of away. It seems like he thinks that he only has himself to trust and that makes him lonely. He has a big problem working together with someone else.

The death of Allie has affected Holden a lot. I think that it is because of his death that he acts the way he does. It seems like he sometimes can see Allie in front of him or in the same room because he talks to him sometimes.

It seems like he is satisfied. He doesn’t question any bad comments or anything else ether like he would have done otherwise. When he reads the note he seems calm for once