The Catcher in the Rye's Catcher
I thought the parallels between what Mr. Antolini was trying to tell Holden and Holden's whole catcher in the rye thing were pretty interesting. The whole scene is well placed so that the reader still has the image of Holden catching children about to fall relatively fresh in their minds so they could see the connections between the children falling and what Mr. Antolini describes as a terrible, terrible fall. When Holden speaks of wanting to catch the children from falling, he's metaphorically speaking of preventing them from growing up and reaching adulthood. When Mr. Antolini is talking about Holden's "fall", he means his refusal to ever grow up. Mr. Antolini is essentially trying to act as the catcher for the catcher in the rye.
The fact that this pushback is from a source that Holden trusts makes the scene more impactful. If it was from just anyone then Holden would probably be more willing to simply blow them off and keep on as before. But Holden spends much of chapters 23 and 24 showing the reader that he trusts Mr. Antolini. He describes the time when James Castle jumped off the roof and Mr. Antolini was the only teacher willing to step forward and take James away. Combine this with how Holden's biggest hang up on actually killing himself is having people look at his body as a spectacle, and the reader can see that carrying the body away means a good deal to Holden. There are also more subtle things like the fact that Holden addressed him as "Mr. Antolini". Compare this to how he simply refers to Spencer as "Spencer".
The fact that this pushback is from a source that Holden trusts makes the scene more impactful. If it was from just anyone then Holden would probably be more willing to simply blow them off and keep on as before. But Holden spends much of chapters 23 and 24 showing the reader that he trusts Mr. Antolini. He describes the time when James Castle jumped off the roof and Mr. Antolini was the only teacher willing to step forward and take James away. Combine this with how Holden's biggest hang up on actually killing himself is having people look at his body as a spectacle, and the reader can see that carrying the body away means a good deal to Holden. There are also more subtle things like the fact that Holden addressed him as "Mr. Antolini". Compare this to how he simply refers to Spencer as "Spencer".
What you pointed about how Mr. Antonlini is the catcher for the catcher in the rye is really interesting. It's a pretty good way of putting what he said, and you're right I think he's the one who Holden finally listens to. And it's kind of crazy how even though the entire scene is underscored by the weird head-patting, Holden basically does listen to him in the end.
ReplyDeleteI certainly see that analogy as Mr. Antolini as the catcher. Despite the head stuff, Antolini does seem to play a significant role. Maybe this is another piece of evidence that Holden could aspire to be a teacher
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting observation. Mr. Antolini seems to be one of the only people that Holden trusts, respects, and listens to. He even feels comfortable enough to call him in the middle of the night and ask if he can come sleep at his house. Perhaps one of the reasons Holden wants to be a catcher in the rye is that he wants to help people like Mr. Antolini because he actually admires Mr. Antolini as a person and wants to be like him.
ReplyDeleteI really wish we'd had time in class to get into the substance of what Antolini tells Holden during his visit: he has some really good advice about how and why cultivating his intellect could be a good thing for him, not for the superficial "success" in the school-game but to better understand the world and his place within it. I agree that this could "save" Holden from the fall he seems clearly headed toward (or in the midst of already), and there are some indications that Holden has taken his words to heart. He "still has" the paper with the quote about living humbly versus dying nobly, and as you say, he depicts Antolini with respect throughout, in a way that he doesn't do with Spencer. Antolini is a "pretty smart guy," and it seems like Holden is maybe willing to actually listen to what he has to say.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was an interesting comparison to consider. Maybe Holden looks up to Mr. Antolini so much partially because they have in common a desire to help people or "save" them.
ReplyDeleteI like this comparison and I hadn't made the connection between the two kinds of falling. In class we also talked about Holden becoming a teacher so he could save kids from "falling" in some kind of way, and this makes me wonder if Antolini had a fall in his past that inspired him to save Holden.
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