The Bar

So, for my scene to analyze, I chose the scene in which Holden hangs out in the "cheesy" hotel bar.

There really didn't seem to be any real plot movement or point to the scene, except to show some character development. We saw more of Holden's lying sarcastic nature, like when he told one of the women that he just saw a celebrity leave, knowing how pathetically obsessed they were with seeing one. He kept making comments on the women's lack of intelligence, though they really did seem frightfully stupid.

We also saw how he's a kind of creepy awkward player, or rather, he wants to be a lady's man but can't quite manage it because he's too young and socially challenged. He kissed the top of the blonde's head (even though he'd met her only five minutes ago and seemed to despise her from the start) and couldn't understand why she seemed offended.

Perhaps the women in the bar were meant to contrast to some of the other women/girls that Holden knows: their stupidity vs Holden's sister, who is very smart, or their lack of personality vs. Jane, who definitely has a personality.

My only real question after this scene is this: why is this kid so messed up? Because he is. And I really want to know why. I know it was hinted at in the beginning of the book, but I want to know for sure.

Why Hide?

I find it difficult to understand why Salinger felt the need to become a hermit. His star was rising so far, and then he just...hid. Maybe he really didn't like the attention (I don't think I would, though I wouldn't become a hermit). Maybe he was getting stalkers. Maybe he was just paranoid--he supposedly still suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome from WWII. I'm really curious now...

Though I have to hand it to him; he was really committed to being a hermit. One of the sources on Mr. Kunkle's blog said that he got angry at her for dropping a loaf of bread near him and so calling attention to him. Hard core.

Another song

So while we were discussing our teenager songs, another one occured to me that I think would be perfect: I'm Still Here. Y'know, in Treasure Planet?

"I'm Still Here"

I am a question to the world,
Not an answer to be heard.
All a moment that's held in your arms.
And what do you think you'd ever say?
I won't listen anyway…
You don't know me,
And I’ll never be what you want me to be.

And what do you think you'd understand?
I'm a boy, no, I'm a man..
You can take me and throw me away.
And how can you learn what's never shown?
Yeah, you stand here on your own.
They don't know me 'cause I'm not here.

And I want a moment to be real,
Wanna touch things I don't feel,
Wanna hold on and feel I belong.
And how can the world want me to change,
They’re the ones that stay the same.
The don’t know me,
'Cause I’m not here.

And you see the things they never see
All you wanted, I could be
Now you know me, and I'm not afraid
And I wanna tell you who I am
Can you help me be a man?
They can't break me
As long as I know who I am

And I want a moment to be real,
Wanna touch things I don't feel,
Wanna hold on and feel I belong.
And how can the world want me to change,
They’re the ones that stay the same.
They can’t see me,
But I’m still here.

They can’t tell me who to be,
‘Cause I’m not what they see.
And the world is still sleepin’,
While I keep on dreamin’ for me.
And their words are just whispers
And lies that I’ll never believe.

And I want a moment to be real,
Wanna touch things I don't feel,
Wanna hold on and feel I belong.
And how can they say I never change
They’re the ones that stay the same.
I’m the one now,
‘Cause I’m still here.

I’m the one,
‘Cause I’m still here.
I’m still here.
I’m still here.
I’m still here.

Some of those lines are just perfect. "I'm a boy, no, I'm a man." "They can't tell me who to be, cuz I'm not what they see." "And how can they say I'll never change? They're the ones that stay the same." "And I wanna tell you who I am" etc, etc...

I think the song shows the feeling that I would think most teenagers feel, that desire to be taken seriously and be respected. Maybe we're not yet adults, but we're not children anymore. Also, there is the idea of being judged, even though the judgers don't even know you, which I think we all experience on a daily basis, both from other students (but who cares then?) and adults.

An Intro

I'm Sam, a senior in High School. Next year, I will be going to college to study Natural Resources Management (and perhaps eventually ecological restoration and creative writing as well). I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, reading, writing, music, friends, facebook, and other such trappings of teenager-dom.

Because we're supposed to discuss this and I would anyway: I have so many favorite books that I've lost track of them all. However, for the purposes of this exercise, I'll choose the Claidi Journals by Tanith Lee.

Claidi is a young woman who lives in the controlling House, which believes that it is the last little bit of civilization surrounded by the poisoned Waste. Claidi is a servant, one step above slave. Then when a traveler from the Waste crashlands in a balloon in the Garden and is imprisoned, Claidi takes a desperate chance and frees him. The two escape into the Waste, which turns out to be not a waste at all. Of course, that traveler seems to have his own agenda...

I like these books mainly because of Claidi's character. She has a dry wit that can be aimed at everyone from the Royalty she serves to herself. She is totally relatable. She isn't perfect--she has never been educated and is a little slow on the uptake sometimes, but she's just trying to make a place for herself in the world and separate the truth from the layers of conspiracy that surround her. I think we all can relate on some level to Claidi's struggle.