Why Do You Think That Holden Is Relieved When Sally Leaves Him

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Literature Circle - Discussion Director By Matthew Wong Why do you think that Holden is relieved when Sally leaves him? Holden has always been the type to cherish personal connections with people over materialistic things and social status. She ends up being late for their date but he immediately looks past it because he finds her so attractive. This attraction and strong guidance of it based on his actions can be seen in the the quote “ (Salinger 129). He attempts to look past her “phoniness” at first, simply because he likes her company and is always longing for a companion. But eventually he realizes that he cannot get past her pretentious attitude and lashes out on her, which in turn results in her leaving him. I believe that he’s …show more content…

At first, Phoebe denies wanting to go for a ride on the carousel, but after Holden convinces her too, she goes on it willfully, while he stays back and just watches. This is because while Phoebe is still well into her youthful years, Holden is finally recognizing his adulthood. I believe that the carousel is a perfect example of something that never ages. Although time goes by, the carousel always does the same thing, and that never changes. The people that ride the carousel will eventually grow up and change, but the ride itself and what it stands for, that will never change. This perspective of change can be seen in the following quote said by Holden “All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe . . . but I didn’t say anything . . . if they want to grab the gold ring, you have to let them do it . . . If they fall off, they fall off.” (Salinger 211). When holden says that children will eventually fall off, he is referring to them falling out of childhood and into adulthood, falling out of their innocence and into the harsh reality of the world. In the end, the carousel is an object that full portrays Holden’s view of life, and how everyone starts off innocent but eventually falls out of it and into

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