Amanda Nyuma
Journal Entry
What was the problem in the story?
The problem Holden faces in the story was control; Holden did not know how to deal with his brothers passing, which truly scared him later in life. Holden was trying to figure out a way to cope with Allies death, behaved in a way that he was kicked out of Pencey. The reader can see the death of Allie was hard for him to deal with because of his constant mention of how spectacular of a person he really was, and how intelligent he was. This incident brings most of Holden’s Problems in the Story.
What new information did you learn in chapters six through nine.
The new information we learn in chapters six through nine is Holden’s brother Allie die of Leukemia when he is ten. We also learn how much Holden really misses his brother due to of how much he talked about being intelligent and how such a good person he is. Due to how close of an age the brother were this event displays how much Holden is truly hurt. This chapter displays new information that reveals more of Holden’s true character and why he acts as he does.
How did the author show you what kind of Person Holden was?
The author displayed Holden’s personality by his words and thoughts of things and people around him during the past, and present. For one example, the author uses many curse words to describe Holden’s day-to-day language which displays might display Holden’s maturity or age to the reader. Also through his thoughts towards others as the reader, we see that Holden has many underlined issues with people calling them “Phonies” and him always describing something “bad” about a person.
Analyze how the story would change if it were set in a different time or place?
The Story would change dramatically for Holden if it were taken place in a different period. In the story, many people see Holden as an outlaw or a mentally unstable. This is because during this time any people like Holden was viewed as a bad person and mentally unfit to live in society. For instance, when Holden found out of his brother’s death he hit the glass window with his hand, and he mentioned they wanted him “Psychoanalyzed.” If Holden were in today’s society he would have better ways to cope with his brother’s death and wouldn’t be “Psychoanalyzed like an insane person but put in counseling to help him. He also wouldn’t be considred a outlaw.