Melissa Holguin English 10

October 10/15/12 Ms. Quinn

DIALECTICAL JOURNALS
QUOTE I thought of her going in a store and buying it, and nobody in the store knowing she was a prostitute and all. The salesman probably just thought she was regular girl when she bought it. It made me feel sad as hell-I dont know why exactly. (pg. 96, Chap 13) RESPONSE
This quote is referring to when Holden is in the hotel room with the prostitute that he paid Maurice for. Hes hanging up her dress in the closet for her and these thoughts are rummaging through his head as he does so. This quote reveals more about Holdens personality. Its an example of his softer and more compassionate side. The way the world of prostitution works is that the customer receives what they want and pay for it and thats that, but Holden wasnt at all interested in receiving services from the prostitute like a regular guy would be. Instead, as hes hanging her dress up he begins to feel sorry for her and about the path she chose to continue her life on. In my opinion, Holdens emotional state is normal and such of a typical teenage boy because feeling sorry for someone doesnt mean that they have a psychological disorder. Its normal for a teenage boy to be overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions and be confused, so I thought it was normal and sensitive of Holden for him to feel sorry for the prostitute and consider how depressing her life was just by thinking about her buying her dress from the store. This quote is referring to when Jane pops up on Holdens mind and he, for the first time begins to remember her and vividly describe her and her personality. The literary element shown in this quote is characterization,

She was a funny girl, old Jane. I wouldnt exactly describe her as strictly beautiful. (pg. 77, Chap 11)

I was hoping shed be good-looking. I didnt care too much, though. I sort of just wanted to get it over with. (pg. 93, Chap 13)

Holdens attitude toward another person, Jane. In this scene Holden is describing Jane with vivid descriptions and remembering the exact days he spent with her and what they spent doing with their time. Holden can at times be very critical and the first thing he mentions when a female character is bought up is whether or not he thinks shes attractive. Considering this, I was surprised to learn that Holden described Jane as not all that attractive looks-wise. This made me realize that Jane wasnt only a fling to Holden but they shared a deep bond and connected on another level which shows what Jane meant to Holden, and his more compassionate side. In my opinion, Holdens emotional state is typical for a teenage boy because hes simply describing the looks of another person. Its normal for a teenage boy to state what he feels about a person and describe them. Hes simply just remembering the memory of Jane in the quote above. This quote is referring to when Holden was in his hotel room waiting for the prostitute that he had paid Maurice for to arrive. This quote shows Holdens characterization, specifically his attitude toward life. Holden completely contradicts the typical thought of a teenage boy in this quote. Boys would stereotypically be excited and react completely differently if they were to engage in any physical activity with a female. Also, looks would play a big role in it as well. Holden says this sentence as if its a burden that he just wants to get over with as soon as possible and with whoever is thrown at him, as if its not a big deal. In my opinion, Holdens behavior displayed in this quote shows that he is suffering from psychological problems, this one showing major depression. Major depression can occur from the death of a loved one (ADAA article) which happened not too long with Holdens little brother, Allie. Because of this sad tragedy in his life Holden shows the

symptom of feeling that life is not worth living in this quote. He appears monotone, dull and lifeless. He speaks this with such unenthusiasm that it gives the impression that he just no longer cares. This quote is referring to when Maurice and All of a sudden I started to cry. Id give anything if I hadnt, but I did. (pg. the prostitute, Sunny come to Holdens room to demand for the five dollars that they said 103, Chap 14) he owes them for Sunnys services. This quote shows internal conflict in Holden. Once again, Holdens character is portrayed as a violent and rebellious boy but slowly starts deteriorating that image as the book progresses. Even though he continues to have a hint of toughness and hostility in him readers can now see the more sensitive and compassionate side as well. When threatened or confronted in a intimidating matter Holden is the last person expected to break down and cry like he does in this scene. In my opinion, Holden is suffering from a psychological problem, this quote showing bipolar disorder (ADAA), which is rapid mood swings. When Maurice and Sunny first came in and demanded their money Holden portrayed himself as suave and in charge. He refused to give the money and was speaking up against the two. As quickly as he was confident he changed to scared and intimidated. His mood went down rapidly and he broke down and started crying. Its completely natural for a teenage boy to feel overwhelmed and cry but not once did Holden show any type of strong, disappointing emotion. It seemed as if he had finally reached his breaking point and instead of the exteriorly tough and mature Holden he seemed like a child, a lost broken child. This quote refers to when Holden is thinking Then Id throw my automatic down about the aftermath of the confrontation the elevator shaft-after Id wiped off with Maurice and Sunny and he creates a all the finger prints and all. Then Id whole story in his mind where he goes back crawl back to my room and call up Jane to Maurice with a gun for revenge. This quote and have her come over and bandage shows symbolism. Even though this example

up my guts. I pictured her holding a cigarette for me to smoke while I was bleeding and all. (pg. 104, Chap 14)

of symbolism isnt an object is still shows great meaning to it because it shows just how messed up Holden is in his head if he can imagine such a scenario. In my opinion, Holden is suffering from a psychological problem, major depression. Major depression can signal a mental illness (ADAA). Holden does show many signs of mental illness throughout the book but this one is the biggest. Holden makes up a whole scenario in his head describing what he would do to Maurice to get revenge on him for taking his five dollars. He compares himself to a movie protagonist and goes through a story in his head of him casually shooting Maurice in an elevator and getting rid of the gun easily while calling Jane to come and comfort him while hes bleeding. He depicted himself as a tough, hard guy in his story. The fact that he also mentions Jane as a part of his story shows that theres some unfinished business with her in himself. He clearly still has a bit of feelings for Jane and wants to contact her and wants her in his life. He mentions her as the comforting role in his story which also shows that she was a person of great comfort and easiness. She was the one person he could be himself around and let his guards down, the one person that made his anxiety and paranoia calm down where he could be completely at ease. Not only does he have a wild imagination for picturing such things but Jane still plays a major unfinished part in his life that he doesnt want to openly admit.