'Better is one's own duty imperfectly carried out than
following perfectly the law of another.
Better is death in the fulfillment of one's own law,
for to follow another's law is perilous.'
-The Bhagavad-Gita
I think Holden is trying to please everybody while doing what he wants at the same time. I also think he's trying to find himself at the same time. He doesn't exactly know who he is or what he wants to do, he's confused. He tries using other people to help him discover himself but this doesn't help. One example is when he accepts the hooker and then decides that he doesn't want her. I feel like he realized that by doing this he wasn't finding himself, he was just using that as an excuse to do these things.
"You can never make the same mistake twice.
The second times you make it,
it's no longer a mistake,
it's a decision."
- Lauren Conrad
I see Holden a lot in this. He's switched schools so many times and I feel like he says 'It was a mistake' but he's made these mistakes that have gotten him kicked out of the school so many times that it's what he wants to do. I feel like it's either as though he gets bored at a school so he does something to get kicked out. I also feel he might not want to live the life he is living. That he isn't proud of being able to go to boarding school. He doesn't fit into the boarding school mold so he wants to get out of there.
I think you are right about Holden being confused. He doesn't know who is is yet, and he really struggles with finding this out. I think tha Holden does try to use other people to find who he is. He tries to make conversation with other people. I think he really just wants somebody to talk to. This is what Jane was for him, and he is lost without her.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you. Although Holden seems to be a nonconformist he seems to make decisions based on what society says as well. I think this is all part of the process in Holden trying to find himself. I love the quote by Lauren Conrad and believe it to be very true. It's unlikely that you will make the same mistake twice if you learn from it the first time. Doing it again is most definately a choice and I think many people struggle with this, Holden included.
ReplyDeleteI agree on what you say, houlden doesn't really what to do of his life yet. I think he tries to find himself but he's hidding behind poeple carractry. i really like the quote that you used and the explanation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of you guys too, about how Holden is trying to find himself through people and experiences. You always hear people saying' "highschool is a time tl fimd yourself." But what does thay really mean?I think part of the reason he is doing some of the things is to try to feel like an adult. He tries to act old but is really just a child on the inside.
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